NOT SO FAST.

Byline: Tito F. Hermoso

It is almost a certainty that this year's Shanghai Auto Show will have the largest in everything; new model launches, crowds, participants, etc. Frankfurt will always have a lot for the world to take interest in as European car makers have to export lest they stagnate. Though not as badly hit as North America, their recovery is just a clawback to the status quo ante; sales that are 30% short of production capacity.

Given that the North American market is groping out of the recession, it's clear that Detroit's wares still prioritize the USA while Asia's emerging markets smother all growth records in consumer good production. And for the first time in decades, Japan's Tokyo Motor Show is leaving Makuhari Messe for the Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba. Instead of staging one month after Frankfurt, its doors will open in December. How festive it will be depends on how the Japanese economy recovers from the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear disaster.

Arguably, motor shows are legion when it comes to compact pickup trucks but none of these shows, with or without red vs. yellow shirt rallies, can ever overshadow Bangkok's.