Hyundai Skips Tokyo Auto Show

TOKYO September 29, 2009; Yuri Kageyama writing for the AP reportrd that South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it's skipping the Tokyo Motor Show, joining a string of foreign automakers that have decided to miss one of Asia's major auto shows.

Hyundai's decision comes just three weeks before the biennial event opens to the media Oct. 21. The show opens to the public three days later. The organizers had already included Hyundai in a diagram of the booths.

"Hyundai Motor Co. will not be an official exhibitor at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show because of the global economic downturn, which has forced a more careful allocation of resources," Hyundai said in a statement.

It defended its decision as "in line with other leading automakers who have canceled their participation."

The large number of companies skipping the event is unprecedented for the Tokyo show and underlines the industry's serious slump.

U.S. automakers such as General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. said as early as February they weren't exhibiting at the show because of economic woes.

By May, almost all foreign automakers had made a similar decision to save money, including German automakers Volkswagen AG and BMW AG, which had attended the previous Tokyo show in 2007.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, which is behind the event, announced the final list of participants Tuesday. The only foreign automakers on the list were Group Lotus, the British maker of sports cars owned by Malaysian automaker Proton, and Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen, a German automaker that partners with BMW.

Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., as well as motorcycle makers and auto parts makers, will take part in the show, which runs through Nov. 4.