It’s only been seven months since the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) was held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), but we already have news of the next instalment set to be held next year. If you are thinking this is a bit early for a year-end show, you’d be right, but it’s only because the motor show is being brought forward several months.
That’s right – the KLIMS 2026 will be held on June 12 to 21, 2026 at MITEC again, the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) announced today. This takes the mid-year slot usually occupied by the Malaysia Autoshow (MAS), which will now alternate with KLIMS, with both shows becoming biennial affairs.
Despite the switch, KLIMS will continue to serve as a traditional motor show, with the showcase of new models and concept cars being the primary focus, said MAA president Mohd Shamsor Mohd Zain. This differs from the sales-based approach taken by MAS, where dealer personnel take orders for new cars and customers are able to test drive vehicles.
Still, MAA is planning some improvements that will bring some elements from MAS into KLIMS such as offering test drives, although those will depend on the brands themselves. “We are already having a strong indication that even [the brands that did not participate last year] are planning to sign up for the show,” Mohd Shamsor said. “We hope that we will have a much more exciting show next year.”
Further changes will address certain shortcomings of last year’s show, such as an inadequate facilities for the media. Shamsor blamed this on the rushed nature of the show’s organisation after coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the MAA’s relative rustiness in organising the show, having not held one for six years since the previous instalment, then called the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show.
“This time, [because] we have a much longer time plan, we will be able to actually provide much more…activities and facilities,” he said.
