Tokyo  - Exhibitor numbers for this year's Tokyo Motor Show are down as carmakers are hit by the global downturn, organizers said Tuesday.

   The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) said only 122 companies were to take part in the show held every two years, down from 241 exhibitors in 2007.

   Carmakers including Germany's Volkswagen AG, Bayerische Motorenwerke AG and Mercedes-Benz have not registered their participation, neither did their ailing US rivals General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC.

   The show's run was shortened by four days, running only from October 23 to November 4.

   "It is very regrettable that the number of exhibitors is decreasing," JAMA president Satoshi Aoki said. The car industry was caught in a severe crisis and companies were trying to cut costs by staying away from trade shows, he added.

   While all of Japan's eight large carmakers, among the Toyota Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co, will be represented, the country's four largest makers of trucks opted out.

   Among the foreign brands represented at the show will be Porsche AG, Ferrari SpA and South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co.

   Aoki expressed hope that exhibitor numbers would recover by the 2011 show.