The revamped Kyalami race track
The South African Festival of Motoring (FoM), set to replace the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS), would offer local motor companies a less expensive, shorter, less static event that should appeal to a broader range of South Africans, said Konstantin von Vieregge, the recently appointed CEO of South African Shows Messe Frankfurt, at the introduction of the event in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
South African Shows Messe Frankfurt is the organiser of the FoM.
The festival was set to take place from August 31 to September 4, this year, at the revamped Kyalami race track, in Midrand.
Von Vieregge said JIMS was not cancelled last year, but postponed in an attempt to create a more appealing, interactive event that would not require expensive stands where staff were locked in for ten to twelve days at a time.
JIMS attendees were also found to be almost 85% male.
In a move away from static stands in Nasrec halls, the FoM would offer a 4x4 track (soft and hard); a VIP hospitality area; an entertainment stage with music and fashion offerings; a vintage and classic car show; test drives on the Kyalami track; a food court; a motor show village; a supplier industry show area; supercar pits; an adrenaline zone; a kids zone and a motorcycle arena.
Von Vieregge said the festival had already secured the participation of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, Nissan and Toyota, with asset finance house WesBank signed on as a sponsor.
Other motor companies were being targeted for participation.
He added that it was important that the South African motor industry, through the FoM, showed its confidence in the economy.
Unlike JIMS, the FoM would not feature a truck and bus show.
The aim was to host these vehicles at a show alongside the biennial Automechanika Johannesburg, an event which had a more commercial focus, said Von Vieregge.
The next Automechanika Johannesburg was scheduled to take place in 2017.