Welcome to biennial street party of petrolheads
What you need to know:
That’s so difficult, nobody does it. Ever. Many hours are spent, some head scratching is done, but a final decision is made on little more than a best-guess basis.
Buyers do enough research to ensure they pick a good “apple” or a good “orange”, while possibly still unaware of a whole range of plums and strawberries and pears and bananas and grapefruit and cherries.
Motoring these days seems to have more challenges than charms, more problems than pleasures. Even aspects that should be really easy are somehow becoming exasperatingly difficult.
But, once every two years, the very opposite happens. Something almost impossibly difficult becomes supremely easy. And a pleasure.
The magic ingredient is the motorshow. Because it puts every model of every make in the same place on the same day.
For both private motorists and fleet operators, this is a uniquely convenient moment to see, and compare, everything. Side-by-side.
Not just every car. But also every pick-up and double cab and SUV and station wagon and 4WD and bus and truck and trailer; motorcycles, generators, batteries, tyres, tools, paints, and components and parts of components and accessories. And the banks and leasing deals that help you buy them.
Without a motorshow, even finding out what the choices are would be daunting. Thoroughly assessing every one of them, for specification, price or any other personal preference, would take dozens of journeys over several days or even weeks. And a final comparison of the finer distinctions between the favourites would require ... a further to-and-fro marathon.
That’s so difficult, nobody does it. Ever. Many hours are spent, some head scratching is done, but a final decision is made on little more than a best-guess basis.
Buyers do enough research to ensure they pick a good “apple” or a good “orange”, while possibly still unaware of a whole range of plums and strawberries and pears and bananas and grapefruit and cherries.
With a motorshow, the whole smorgasbord is served up on a single, simple, but sumptuous plate. Every option can be seen, physically inspected, talked about, revisited, completely checked out and compared. So easily that tens of thousands of people do it.
Once every two years. That moment is now less than three weeks away. Every stand was sold out months in advance.
The KICC is bursting at the seams.
Granted, the majority of showgoers don’t bring a chequebook and a quivering pen. The majority just bring a love of motoring, a compelling interest to see the latest designs and technology, a wish to know (so if and when the need or chance to buy does arise ... later in the year or later in life or just in their dreams) they already have a good idea of what’s what.
More than a few come because it’s a fun day — like many of the best-established national events, it’s a social occasion, with pomp and ceremony, fountains and marching bands, a food court to feast on, and even a kiddies corner to do the baby sitting.
And who doesn’t like a street party, where everybody — friends and strangers alike — are celebrating some common interest and national success.
And this is a major national success. It’s by far the biggest and best show of its kind anywhere in the whole of middle Africa. And that’s because our motoring and industry — for all its challenges and exasperations — is, indubitably, something that Kenya is very, very good at.
So, whether you’re a buyer or a browser, don’t miss the “street” party. It’s going to be a good one.
