Hot Wheels

Phuket's upscale mall, Central Festival, is hosting a small auto show this week. For some reason, unshaven and in my ratty t-shirt, ripped shorts, and flip-flops, the salespeople wanted nothing to do with me.

Japanese brands are at least as popular in Thailand as anywhere else, but I thought Ford stole the show. There was a Focus hatchback on display that turned a lot of heads, even mine, and that looks nothing like its U.S. counterpart. This is not a fluke -- three years ago in Beijing, my then-boss bought a Ford Mondeo that, based on looks and comfort, was the equal of a C-class Mercedes. No, I'm serious. Of course that begs the question why Ford sells such uninspired junk in the States. My guess is that they fear the average American simply wouldn't fit in their Asia-market models. If so, maybe they're right, but making these cars fat-friendly destroys their gorgeous lines.

The flagship Accord on display looked like what was marketed in the States two years ago, as did the rest of Honda's lineup. Isuzu had a pretty nice looking SUV on display, but otherwise took honors for having the hottest presenters. Yowie zowie, I said.

Vendors catering to custom-job and mod enthusiasts made up at least a third of the show. Custom kits, etc., are being pushed worldwide, but young Thai drivers are taking to the concept in a big, big way, as evidenced by the growing numbers of "pimped out" rides on the streets here, especially in Bangkok.