Body styling industry gears up for TUNING WORLD BODENSEE 2010

Many leading manufacturers and retailers have confirmed their attendance, the club area is fully booked, countless new products will be on display, and over 100,000 tuning fans are expected to come from all over the world. TUNING WORLD BODENSEE 2010, which takes place from 13 to 16 May, promises to be another big success.

"The tuning market leaders have promised to be there,” says the event’s director, Klaus Wellmann. "Many car manufacturers have also recognized the potential of TUNING WORLD BODENSEE and will be showcasing their sports products there for the first time.” The 85,000-square-metre event will feature a host of new products and exclusive conversions from top international tuners. After the success of the new Premium Car Area last year, many leading manufacturers will be there again in hall B5, with major tire and wheel specialists particularly well represented.

The response from clubs has been particularly enthusiastic. Project manager Dirk Kreidenweiß says: "Our existing club areas are fully booked, and we’re delighted that this year will be an even bigger and more colorful display by new and established tuning clubs from all over Europe.” Some 400 applications were received for the 152 spaces in halls A5, A6 and A7, while tuned private cars will be in the spotlight in hall B4.

For the first time, there will also be an area devoted to online tuning communities. This lounge area in hall B2 will allow top portals to promote themselves and provide firsthand commentary on the event, with each displaying at least two tuning cars chosen by site members and visitors. Industry representatives, journalists and tuning fans will also have a ringside seat in the preparations for TUNING WORLD BODENSEE@Twitter and Facebook.

This year will include a parallel event, Car+Sound, the leading international in-car electronics and mobile information and entertainment fair. "This theme is a perfect match for tuning,” says Kreidenweiss. "Having two events at the same time will be a wonderful international networking opportunity for exhibitors and trade visitors. Car +Sound will be in halls A3 and A4, and it promises to be both exciting and informative.”

For the first time, Car+Sound will include the official season kickoff event for the Car Hi-Fi Bundesliga competition. This is organized by the European Auto Sound Association, an alliance of leading specialist manufacturers and dealers, and dB Drag Racing.

Fringe program highlights

The original Dodge Charger from The Fast and the Furious
This incredible 1,200-hp car, driven by Vin Diesel himself in the cult film and incorporating nitrous oxide injection, will be on display for the first time at a European trade fair.

MISS TUNING 2010
This year’s beauty contest has attracted 350 entries, topping the record set in 2009. These will be narrowed down to 20 for the finale on 16 May, the last day of the exhibition, which will feature photo shoots, catwalk appearances and interviews. The winner will take home a sports car, and can look forward to an exciting year of appearances at motorsports and other events and a calendar shoot in the Great Lakes region of North America.

Skid Row: the Falken Drift Show
Whatever you do, don’t drive in a straight line. That’s the motto of Dutch drift champion Remmo Nieze, 42, and rookie Lennard Wander, 23. They’ll be providing a heart-stopping demonstration of their art three times daily in the static display area, and for the first time the show will feature a drifting trike. The Falken Drift Show will be fronted by well-known tuning presenter Lina van de Mars.

Drifting for All, and the team challenge
The Škoda Fun Area, in the eastern outdoor section of the site, offers two unforgettable driving experiences. The Drifting for All event allows visitors to try their hands at this demanding technique in a converted Škoda Roomster, while the team challenge involves driving it in groups of four, with one person operating the accelerator, one the brake, one the gears and one the steering wheel.

Six award categories
The cars will be competing for a series of six awards. The Yokohama Tuning Award will go to the most original and unusual club and private cars. This is one of the most coveted prizes in the tuning industry, with some 600 vehicles competing last year. The best tuned SUVs will take home the Yokohama and Auto Bild Allrad magazine 4x4 awards, and there will also be prizes for the best club stand and the best styled truck. The publishing company Delius Klasing Verlag will choose the best tuned private cars for its Hall of Fame Award, and eurotuner magazine will be handing out the third annual Eurotuner’s Best Awards at the fair.

History of US tuning
This special exhibition offers a chance to admire and photograph the finest American cars from the 1930s to the present day, from hotrods and muscle cars to L-head engines and special chassis designs.

Burn-Out Roulette: a spectacular game of chance
A roulette table, a tuned car with its handbrake on, and a rear axle marked with 36 numbers: these are the ingredients of this new event in the performance area of hall A2 on Friday and Saturday, 14 and 15 May. Pick the right number, and you could be in for some serious money.

Soulful Vibes and Daniel Hernandez
The gravity-defying Berlin dance group Soulful Vibes blends graceful, flowing choreography with jerky, machine-like moves, with backing from top beatbox artist Daniel Hernandez.

Keep on trucking
There’s a clash of the giants in store in the new Rothaus Hall A1, with a display of custom trucks supported by Deutsche-Trucker-Club-Gemeinschaft - from the smallest pickups to the biggest juggernauts.

Talking of clashes of the giants…
The Yokohama Sumo Challenge, held each day in the Radio 7 area in hall B5, includes demonstrations by the world and European champions of this traditional Japanese sport and a chance to try it for yourself. Another fringe event requiring slightly less muscle power is the Mazda-Chrysler Segway Race, where instructors will help visitors to steer three of these single-axle electric vehicles round a parallel slalom course.

Three long nights of partying
A series of three after-show parties begins in Club Metropol on Thursday 13 May, with punk band Benzin headlining. On Friday 14 May, there’s the third Radio 7 Party Night in hall A2, with special guests United Four, the hard rock band that first hit the big time with an appearance on a leading German TV talent show dressed as cows. On Saturday 15 May there’s the traditional Best of Ibiza Party, with the Big City Beats’ unique mix of music and lasers unforgettably recreating the Mediterranean island’s unique club scene.

Free parking
Once again, and uniquely among German automobile fairs, parking in the official visitors’ car parks will be free this year.

Combined tickets
If you’re not arriving by car, you can buy a combined entrance ticket that includes transport by ferry from Romanshorn or catamaran from Konstanz.

Opening times and prices
Tuning World Bodensee, the international auto tuning, lifestyle and clubbing event, takes place from Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 May 2010, and is open from 10 am to 6 pm. A day ticket costs €12, or €10 for concessions. You can book advance tickets online at www.tuningworldbodensee.de/twb-en/besucher/tickets-online.php. Tickets for evening events are available at www.reservix.de and at the exhibition door. For more information on exhibitors, products, fringe events and how to get there, visit www.tuningworldbodensee.de.