Chattogram Motor Fest 2022 lays out the red carpet for enthusiasts
This year’s event featured the most number of brands as well as new models than ever before
Stepping into the main hall of the GEC Convention Centre, Chattagram, a red carpet welcomed visitors and led them to stalls where some of the biggest car manufacturers in Bangladesh showcased their latest and greatest.
The fifth edition of Chattagram Motor Fest, organised by Wizard Showbiz, was held on 20 October. The three-day event featured the most number of car brands and new models of cars than ever before in the port city.
The main GEC Hall was dominated by Chinese and Japanese car manufacturers. Haval, Proton, MG and Chery had some of the biggest stalls.
The first stall which the red carpet led to was of PHP Automobiles Limited – the sole authorised manufacturers of Proton cars in Bangladesh. Proton has been participating in the event ever since the first MotorFest of 2018. They featured four new cars this year – the entry level Proton Saga, Proton X50, the all new Signature trim of their Persona sedan and the flagship X70.
Right beside Proton was Chery, the latest car brand to enter the Bangladesh market. The Chinese manufacturer showcased two of their recently launched SUVs, the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro.
Haval showcased four cars at the event. Haval has one of the highest market shares among all Chinese vehicle manufacturers operating in Bangladesh. Their Jolion HEV was the most eye-catching from their latest offerings. They were also offering pre-orders for their latest H6 HEV.
The last Chinese car brand present at the event was MG, which showcased three of their most popular crossovers – the HS, ZS and ZS-T.
Honda was the only Japanese car manufacturer at the event. They featured their latest Accord Hybrid, CR-V and the newly launched BR-V. The BR-V quickly became very popular amongst the visitors. It was a small SUV which included three rows of seats!
The bike stalls were set up right outside of the GEC Hall.
Yamaha and Suzuki were the only two Japanese brands at the event.
The latest offerings from Suzuki were three variants of the Gixxer. All of their existing lineup of bikes were also displayed at the stall.
Yamaha's latest offerings included R15M and FZ-X. But it was the 1000cc R1M superbike which took the crowd by storm. Given the restriction on the import of bikes above 165cc this was one of the only opportunities for many local riders to see a superbike in real life.
PHP Automobiles Limited featured attractive offerings like the PHP Commando 150.
Many local and international brands sold parts for cars, bikes, even CNGs. Automobile essentials such as tires, lubricants, car perfumes, wax, polish, etc were all available for sale.
Local car and bike enthusiasts groups also took part in the event. BikeBD – Bangladesh's first motorcycle blog – hosted stunt shows and raffle draws. Bangladesh Racerz Club, more popularly known as BDRC Automotive Limited, also held a car meet at the event venue on Friday.