The Motor Fair, which opened yesterday, is being held at the Trade Fair Grounds, in Naxxar, for the last time,.
Queues had already started to form outside the Trade Fair - and traffic built up - as I left the premises just before 6 p.m. after almost three hours of walking the stands for the second Press day, organised by the Association of Car Importers Malta (ACIM).
ACIM secretary William Shaw said the fair was an important event for the local car market. "From the age of 18, Maltese youths start to look around for their first car," he said, auguring that, as in previous years, this year's fair, which runs until Sunday, will also be a success.
All the importers, with the exception of Toyota agents M. Debono Ltd, who inaugurated a new showroom in Zebbug on Monday, have made every effort to bring their very latest product and make interesting offers. Quite a few of them told tales of certain models arriving just hours ago - some of them in left-hand-drive.
Certainly, there are models to suit all pockets and in every category. The first model we saw was the Skoda Roomster, the only mini-MPV in the VW Group. It is a high-roofed flexible five-seater with masses of boot space.
Volkswagen had the Polo Tour, with more standard equipment and a lower price; the face-lifted VW Touareg with a higher level of interior trim; and better finance deals throughout the range.
Renault had the Mégane Sport Formula1 Team R26 - celebrating two consecutive years as F1 constructors and driver world champions - powered by a 2.0-litre turbo with 230 bhp.
Mitsubishi showed their new SUVs, the Pajero 3.2 and Outlander; Suzuki had the new Swift and Ignis, both with 1.3-litre petrol engines; Seat had the Altea XL, with a larger boot, and the Léon sport; and Nissan the new Qashqai and Micra C+C.
The entire SsangYong range of 4x4s is on display with special offers and deals to suit personal needs.
The Honda Civic Type R and Type S took pride of place, although the new CRV was tucked at the back of the stand; the Chevrolet Captiva 4x4 with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel 150 bhp engine, is competitively priced; and so is the new Isuzu D-Max range of pick-ups with both single and double cab.
BMW have the all-new X5 and 3 Series convertible with a retractable hard roof, apart from the face-lifted 1 and 5 Series, and the new Mini Cooper S. Peugeot had the spotlight on the new 207 CC and a stand built locally by Repro House.
Mercedes-Benz showed the new C-Class in Elegance trim with a 2.2-litre diesel and 170 bhp. This model is slightly longer with more headroom and elbowroom than the outgoing model.
Kia has a range of new and face-lifted models, with the centre of attraction being the Cee'd and its seven-year warranty.
Subaru showed the Tribeca large SUV; Opel featured the new Corsa and improvements on its popular Astra Twin Top.
Fiat has offers on all models and have for the first time the Grande Punto Sporting.
Hyundai have the Accent in three- and four-door, the new Tucson, Santa Fe and Sonata - popular with taxis.
Alfa Romeo have an anticipation of the Spider, due to be launched later this month, alongside their 147 and 159 models.
The Mazda MX-5 is now in Malta as a coupé cabrio - the roof folds back in 12 seconds.
Volvo have the C30, an entry premium hatchback that is highly equipped - and not cheap.
The Jaguar S-Type makes its first appearance, along with the Ford Focus ST and CC. The Car of the Year is here too - the S-Max.
Daihatsu shipped a new Charade, with its 998cc three-cylinder 12-valve engine, in a container from Japan.
The new Terios is there too, along with the Citroën C4 Picasso with five and seven seats and the Land Rover Freelander2.
Garmin GPSes with Malta maps are being given with each Daihatsu and Citroën sold at the fair.
Finally, Fapi Motors of Attard are "going public" for the first time, with their brands: Cadillac, with the BLS and CTS, Corvette and Proton with the Savvy and Gen-2.