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ozens of global automakers will flock to the 2014 Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) set to take place next month, presenting a number of new models as well as the latest concept cars.

Themed '€œSmart and Safe Mobility'€, the annual event, running from Sept. 18 to 28, will showcase 36 brands with a wide range of fuel-efficient vehicles under their portfolio, which illustrates the manufacturers'€™ efforts to follow market trends while at the same time offering safety to users.

Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers Association (Gaikindo) chairman Sudirman Maman Rusdi said the show might provide visitors with a complete overview on the country'€™s automotive industry.

'€œWe also aim to show that Indonesia is a lucrative automarket so that we can attract more investment to the sector here,'€ Sudirman told a press conference on the event Thursday.

Indonesia, forecast to overtake Thailand to be Southeast Asia'€™s biggest automarket soon, expects to see its car sales reach 1.25 million units this year, up slightly from last year'€™s 1.22 million units.

Gaikindo raised its projection on this year'€™s auto sales outlook based on encouraging July sales results, although previously sales have been stagnant as the central bank'€™s benchmark interest rate hike prompted banks to raise their credit rates.

The motor show, which has in the past two years been acknowledged as Southeast Asia'€™s largest auto exhibition, for the first time this year has gained the endorsement of the International Organization for Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA). Consisting of 40 members, the Paris-based automotive alliance coordinates 16 auto exhibitions worldwide.

Several major car manufacturers are ready to roll out a number of new models to attract visitors to the event, which will occupy 83,137 square meters at the Jakarta International Expo.

Mitsubishi, for instance, will introduce its multipurpose vehicle Delica, set to tighten the competition with rivals such as the Toyota Nav1, the Mazda Biante and the Nissan Serena.

Mazda will also launch its favorite hatchback '€” the All New Mazda2 '€” with Indonesia slated to host its Southeast Asia debut.

Nissan is set to deliver its a new car from its luxury brand Infiniti, which is the compact executive sedan Infiniti Q50, while Renault will bring a new variant of its sports utility vehicle Duster and a new
cross over.

Apart from new models, several concept cars will also bolster the motor show. Daihatsu, which consistently displays varied concept cars each year, plans to exhibit at least six models, including the ultra-function compact UFC-3, the fuel efficient Ayla GT2 and the CUV-2.

Mitsubishi will present its sports utility vehicle the AR Concept.

The motor show'€™s organizing committee chairman, Johnny Darmawan, said he had not set any target for transactions as the event served more as an arena to exhibit the latest technology owned by car manufacturers instead of for selling cars. Similarly, there is no target for visitors.

Last year'€™s event recorded more than Rp 4.9 trillion (US$418.79 million) in transactions generated from sales of over than 20,000 units.

The number of visitors rose slightly by 1.32 percent to 373,661 people last year from 2012.

'€” JP/Linda Yulisman