They came, they saw and bought on the spot. Deals offered at auto show Cars@Expo were so irresistible that eager car buyers had to wait their turn to sign on the dotted line. But it wasn’t just car buyers who got sweet deals. Car owners who wanted to sell their existing rides for a good price used a new service Wheel Deal to secure attractive offers from recommended car dealers.

The two-day car show, organised by Singapore Press Holdings at Singapore Expo on Nov 7 and 8, recorded an estimated $120 million worth of cars sold. Car distributors and car dealers at the show expect more bookings to be confirmed in the weeks ahead as some customers want to visit the showrooms and go for test drives.

Exhibitors said the overwhelming number of visitors and sales were largely due to the dip in certificate of entitlement premiums (COE) for Category A — up to 1,600cc and 130 brake horsepower — and Category B cars — above 1,600cc or 130bhp.

Trans Eurokars Mazda sold around 200 cars at Cars@Expo. Mr David Chung, 42, the senior marketing manager at Trans Eurokars said: “The number of bookings surpassed our original target. We made our first sale within an hour of the show opening on Saturday. It was a non-stop stream of visitors on both days. The Cars@Expo is a convenient one-stop marketplace for customers. With many brands and models displayed, car buyers save time and are spared the hassle of moving from showroom to another.”

Volkswagen Group Singapore got its first booking within half-an-hour of the show opening and sold over 100 cars during the two-day show. Sales manager at Volkswagen Group Alvin Quah said: “There was a steady stream of visitors at our booth and some were anxious to book their cars to enjoy the special promotions.”

Mr Tan Ooi Boon, deputy head of SPH Marketing, said: “We would like to congratulate some 1,000 visitors for getting new cars for their families. We are thankful to our exhibitors for their strong support in making Cars@Expo a success.

“2016 looks set to be the year for buying new cars as many existing cars are due to end their run. If you are still shopping around, we are happy to inform that Cars@Expo will be back in a few months and we look forward to deliver another batch of good deals to you then. See you again soon!”

Watch out for Cars@Expo 2016 happening in April. For more information and partnership opportunities contact any one of the following: Koh Say Kiong at 631-2105 or e-mail kohsk@sph.com.sg; Cornelius Lee at 6319-1007 or e-mail leehc@sph.com.sg; Elizabeth Chua at 6319-2483 or e-mail elizchua@sphcom.sg; Michelle Sim at 6319-6160 or e-mail michsim@sphcom.sg.

Click to find out more about Wheel Deal.

Click here for event sponsorship opportunities in SPH Newspapers.