Lotus Exige enthrals Hong Kong Auto Show as Guangzhou Auto reveals export potential of GS8

The inaugural Hong Kong Auto Show presented a wide range of Chinese and international cars at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre last weekend. The following five made the strongest impression.

The show’s highlight was the Lotus Exige Sport 380, a potential collectible that local dealer Richburg Lotus says only arrived here last week. Selling for “about HK$1.3 million”, the 376-horsepower, 3.5-litre turbocharged two-seater does 100km/h in about 3.5 seconds and tops at 375km/h via a six-speed manual shift. The sleek fastie with light-emitting diode lights has an aluminium chassis and weighs only 1,100kg, but consumes 21.2 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres for 220g/km in CO2 emissions. Built with a front energy-absorbing crash structure and fitted with high-performance brakes, the model can be customised in a variety of carbon, leather and tartan design schemes.

Two local clubs brought life to the show in the dour, big-pillared expanse of Hall 3. The 70-member MX5 Club de Roadster Hong Kong exhibited a fine selection of Mazda’s best-selling roadsters and the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong showed two rows of fine cars. A classic Citroen 2CV and a DS drew admirers, but the Best of Show was a 4.9-litre 1954 Bentley R Type drophead coupe, restored by To Kwa Wan-based Frank Dale & Stepsons.

Several mainland cars were shown at the event, which was jointly organised by China National Machinery Industry Corp and Nam Kwong Group. Of the six mainland marques represented, only Guangzhou Automobile Group made a significant effort to engage Hong Kong’s English-speakers or foreign visitors, however. Guangzhou Auto showed it had done its homework on the cultural diversity – and the traditional entrepot role of Hong Kong – and manned its stand with a young, enthusiastic customer relations duo who spoke excellent English. Unlike other mainland firms, the marque provided well-produced brochures about the group and also each model, in English, and in the process might have created a new bridgehead of overseas export and media contacts in Hong Kong.

“We are here as part of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’,” a Guangzhou Auto spokeswoman said. Within five minutes, the carmaker engaged a visitor from the Indian subcontinent on the build and distribution of its best-selling GS8 seven-seater sports utility vehicle. The marque has 400 outlets across the mainland and exports to 14 countries. The GS8 was also launched in Detroit this year but would not be in Hong Kong for a couple of years as the marque just made left-hand drives, the spokeswoman said, describing how the marque’s Guangzhou factory already produces a monthly 10,000 of this “flagship” sport utility vehicle, and 40,000 of its bestseller, the GS4 SUV.