The ADA Motor Show is back after several years of absence. The New Car Dealers group joined with Scotiabank to stage this event. The show is not only to allow people to feast their eyes on what the New Car Dealers have to offer but to allow buying customers to see all their options and make a sound decision when buying their next car.

There were a few noted brands that were absent during the show. Hyundai and Mazda are two brands that are currently not with the ADA and therefore were not expected to be at the show, even though people still asked about them. However Peugeot, Ssangyong and Isuzu are all currently members of the ADA and were expected to be at the show. Ssangyong would have been able to introduce their new Korando, a compact SUV that would compete with the Suzuki Vitara and the like. Peugeot would also have been able to introduce several new models including the 107, 308 and the RCZ. Sadly these brands were not present.

BMW introduced the new 3-series and 1M. They also had the X1, X3, X6 and the 5-series GT on display. The 1-series hatchback, 5-series sedan or X5 were not on display and people questioned why would they did not bring these models to the show. The 1-series hatchback is a completely new shape and has been on sale since December 2011. The car at this booth that got the most attention would be the 1M as you could hear people buzzing about it throughout the show.

Land Rover had the Evoque, Range Rover and Discovery on display. The Evoque is by far the most exciting vehicle they had on display as it was introduced late last year and has been the highest selling model offered by the Land Rover/Range Rover brand.

The Jaguar XF 3.0L V6 Diesel S was the only model on display for the brand. The Jaguar XF however recently got a facelift and the display model showed off the new headlights and front bumper layout. This car also boasted on being the best mix of performance, efficiency and luxury that was currently available in the midsize sedan market. It is able to rocket from 0-60 mph in 5.9s, return up to 63 mpg and the driver and passengers would have at their disposal dual automatic air condition, leather power seats with memory function, keyless operation and keyless start, top of the line entertainment system and other features that are just too much to mention.

Toyota had a nice mix of cars at the show with the Corolla, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Fortuner, Prado and Land Cruiser inside and Yaris, Hilux, Hiace and Coaster outside in the commercial display area. Not sure why the Yaris was outside with the commercial units. Toyota had several cars that had the crowd buzzing including the most expensive vehicle on display, the Land Cruiser at over $14,000,000. They also had the only hybrid on display with the new shape Toyota Camry Hybrid that also sports 200hp. The car most racing enthusiast hoped to see from Toyota was the new FT-86 as it sports 200hp and is a rear wheel drive coupe. However that car is expected to land in Jamaica later this year. No word on the expected price.

Mitsubishi had the Pajero, Montero, ASX and the Evolution X. The ASX was shown in standard form as well as a fully customized model sporting after market wheels and tyres. The Pajero was set in water to show off the vehicle off-road capabilities and how at home it is in this kind of environment. However the most exciting car Mitsubishi had on display was the Evolution X, it was not because its one of the most powerful Japanese sedans on display. No, The real reason is due to the fact that car was converted into a video game that allowed the driver regardless of age to race the car over rally courses and compete with each other in setting best times. Most of the drivers would not legally be allowed to drive any car on public roads as they were mainly young boys. However the Evolution X by default was the only model that was available for a test drive, simulated or otherwise.

Audi had the A1, A6, A7, Q5 and Q7 on display. Many people asked about the absence of the A4 and A5. I personally would have liked to have seen the Q3 and the TT that recently got a facelift late last year. The A1 which was the car of the year in 2011, is now the entry level model for the Audi line and its starts at $3,500,000 for the standard model and $3,900,000 for the S-line model. Autoinfoja takes great pride in noting that we were the ones to spec the standard model which sports keyless start, paddle shift and the same entertainment system found in the S-line model. The A7 was not only the most like car at the Audi booth but one of the most liked cars at the entire show as 73 of the 115 people asked during the show confirmed as their favorite.

Volkswagen had the Polo, GTI, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan and Touareg in the main display area and had the Amarok, Transporter and Caravelle in the commercial display area. Tiguan was easily the car that people were buzzing about at the Volkswagen booth. People also commented on the mostly white display models. Some liked it and others would have preferred a lot of colour.

Subaru had the Impreza VX, Legacy, Forester, Tribeca and Impreza WRX STI. The Impreza WRX STI was the mosted liked model and people also commented on the lovely female models that were seen with each car. The Impreza VX is a nice addition to Subaru model range as it allow those customers who are used to a smaller nimbler vehicle to have the capability of all wheel drive that is capable of handling some of Jamaica worst rural roads.

Ford had the Edge, Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Explorer on display. The Ford Focus was a new model and changes the dynamics and appeal of the car. It currently sports a 1.6L engine that produces 125 hp and returns 6.0 L/100km. Sadly there is no mention of the sporty variations that available to other markets include the 180 hp model that not only has better mileage than the 125 hp version, as it returns 5.9 L/100km but also accelerates from 0-100 km in just 8.0s.

Suzuki had the Celero, SX4 sedan, SX4 hatchback, Swift, Swift Sport, Jimny, Vitara and Kizashi and that is just what was on display on the inside, they also had the APV panel van, window van and pickup outside in the commercial display area. The Kizashi was the most striking model on display and was the first time the highly praised midsized sedan was on display. The Kizashi sports a 2.4L engine, attractive allow wheels, keyless start and leather seats all for around $4,500,000. This is easily the most expensive sedan ever offered by Stewart's Auto Sales.

Mercedes Benz had the C180 sedan, E200 sedan, ML250 CDI, SLK200. They also had the R-class and another SLK200 in the VIP parking lot. The ML250 is a new model with a new 2.1L diesel engine that is on par with the performance of the outgoing ML280 CDI. It however has the advantage of being in a lower tax bracket than most of its competitors and therefore will could be offered at a low price. The most popular car was the SLK200 roadster which sports the hard top folding roof. The price for this model is in the ballpark of $8,500,000.

Nissan had the Qashqai, Xtrail and Murano in the main display area and had the Navara on display in the commercial area. The Murano was the most talked about model on display as it was the first that most people were seeing it. Also many people thought the $6,500,000 price tag was reasonable for a car of that nature. However I do not expect these models to start selling in large numbers as most of the people who liked the Murano said they would buy the Qashqai based on price. People also like the uniforms the female sales executives wore for the show.

Honda had the Fit, Civic, Accord and CR-V on display. The City was a noted absentee. The new Civic and new CR-V were recently given a model change and this was the first time that most Jamaicans were getting a chance to see it and touch it. People commented mostly about the Civic and said that they would have preferred to see it in red or blue. The Accord sedan is again available with the 3.5L V6 that is so popular with the used Accord coupes that are being imported in noticeable numbers over the last 12 months.

Kia had several models on display including the Cerato, Cerato Koup, Soul, Sorento and Carnival. The new Picanto, Rio, Optima and Sportage were noted absentees. The Cerato Koup was the most striking car on display and the Kia Soul had its own crowd.

Volvo had just the S60 2.0T on display. This is the 240 hp version that sprints from 0-100 km in just 7.5s and returns 8.3 L/100km.

Fiat had the 500 and the Panda. The 500 has the most striking model on display and people kept referring to it as a bug.

The venue also featured most of the banks, a few credit unions, a few insurance companies, several aftermarket accessory stores, JAMNAV and JAA among others. The banks were offering rates as low as 9.5% at BNS and 9.99% at RBC. the difference is that BNS would need a 20% deposit on the vehicle to secure the 9.5% and RBC was offering the 9.99% with 100% financing. This was the first time that single digit interest rates were being offered at a major event and it was welcomed by all. Several visitors even noted that they came solely to look but once they saw the new rates with the 100% financing from RBC they started to think about changing their car.

Overall the ADA did a fairly decent job in having most of the brands and models on display. It would have been better with all the brands present and also instead of offering several small prizes they could offered a new car as the main prize. All the visitors that were asked at the show about their favorite car, all would have preferred to enter to win a free car than the small prizes that were being offered. They say a hint to the wise is sufficient, so lets see what the ADA offers at the next show.

Autoinfoja's top 10 cars on display.

- Jaguar XF 3.0L V6 Diesel S

- BMW 1M

- Audi A7

- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

- Impreza WRX STI

- Mercedes SLK200

- Suzuki Kizashi

- Toyota Camry Hybrid

- Fiat 500

- Nissan Murano