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ith the growing middle class and increase in car ownership in Indonesia comes the opening of a niche in the television market – automotive and lifestyle programs.

The automotive sector is a huge and rapidly developing industry but many television shows are falling short of the audience’s expectations. In an attempt to please both the audience and advertisers they tend to only give positive reviews of the cars and as a result, many shows have a similar, stale format.

Sonny H. Chuhairy, president of the BMW M Owners Club Indonesia, said that he liked Otoblitz, which is aired on Metro TV every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. “The show is informative and gives up-to-date coverage on technological advances, new models, clubs and modifications,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Highlights Otomotif, another automotive-themed TV program, aired on Trans 7 every Saturday at 2 p.m., combines automotive and lifestyle themes. The show features three actresses (Gracia Indri, Venilia Agi and Shareefa Daanish) as the hosts and covers motoring topics and events such as Formula 1, the Freestyle World Championship and the World Superbike Championship. The show also gives information on modifications as well as featuring celebrities who are passionate motorists.

While the three presenters may get the male members of the audience’s seal of approval, women are of a different opinion. Anita, a resident of East Jakarta and an avid car driver, said that most automotive-themed shows rely solely on pretty female presenters wearing sexy clothes that drop automotive-related terms without any explanation and only highlight the cars’ strengths.

“Sometimes the shows are like advertorials, because they only talk about the cars’ top features. That is why I like Top Gear - it gives a much more balanced opinion,” she said.

Top Gear, a British production and produced by the BBC, is aired on the local station B Channel and TV Indovision. Established in 1977 and launched again in 2002, the show is fronted by three male hosts: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as well the mysterious test driver, “The Stig”.

Instead of bombarding the viewer with difficult automotive terms, Top Gear shows the audience how the car actually fares on the road, in often surreal, but always entertaining, situations. For example, in one episode the car was dropped from a crane, set on fire and crashed into a tree and although heavily damaged was still drivable.

The show also includes a segment that challenges its presenters to buy a used car with a limited budget. They then compete to prove whose car is the best. The challenge usually involves a long journey to test the car’s durability and fuel efficiency and a race to determine its performance.

Unlike other shows that only praise a car’s best features, Top Gear’s format thoroughly investigates the vehicles and highlights both the good and bad aspects. Although the car may be a famous brand the presenters tell the audience how they really find it.

That is what automotive fans really need.