Sydney 2002: Bigger, better and faster

In 2000, some 261,000 people attended the Sydney Motor Show. In 2001, that number saw a 22.5 per cent increase, taking the total number of attendees to almost 320,000.

Suffice to say, Australian's take great pleasure in checking out what's going on in the motoring world, and 2002 is expected to be even bigger, thanks to not only a star cast of seriously drool-worthy vehicles, but also thanks to an extra day of operation.

While our trusty Wombat reporters will be heading to the show on the media-only Thursday morning, the show will in fact open later that evening, from 5.00pm until 10.00pm.

This means that those eager to see the new Falcon GT, Ferrari Enzo or the MR2-based Toyota Street Affair can do so a day early.

Organisers of the huge automotive event said the idea is to get more people looking at cars, but also to take the pressure off what is traditionally a huge first weekend for the show.

Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Peter Sturrock, said: "Last year almost 130,000 people visited the show over the first three days alone, suggesting that there is sufficient demand to justify the extended trading hours."

Part of the decision to extend the Auto Show's schedule is also due to the recent boom in car sales, according to Mr Sturrock: "The chamber expects the Australia car market to reach an all-time record of 810,000 sales this year.

"Our research shows that a significant percentage of motor show visitors attend with the intention of buying a new vehicle in the near future, so we are hopeful of another bumper crowd," he concluded.

And buy cars showgoers do, with an impressive amount of deposits handed over for luxury and brand-new models at the 2001 Sydney Motor Show.

Granted, cars like the Monaro will always get a good reception, with some 40,000 brochures grabbed by eager show-goers in 2001.

This year, Ford's Falcon GT, which is being unveiled at the show, is likely to get plenty of attention, as is the new range of HSV 'Y' performance sedans and utes.

At the 2001 Sydney Motor Show, Mercedes had six orders for the $280,000 SL 500 sports car, while rebounding Italian marque Maserati received some 16 deposits on its then-new Spyder, each costing roughly $215,000.

The 2002 Sydney Motor Show is going to be big - this much is for certain - but what will be the highlight of the show?

At the top of the list, at least for us, sits the new Falcon GT. On Thursday we'll know if the new FPV bruiser will pip HSV's stunning new GTS in the power stakes, and also whether or not it will offer a supercharged version of the Boss V8.

Lamborghini and Bentley will be at the show this year, which is quite a coup, and we are crossing our fingers that information on the upcoming 4x4 and 'compact' 5.0-litre V12 Lambos will be offered.

But perhaps the biggest news is that for the first time, Australia's four big local carmakers - Holden, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi - will all be showing off 2003 flagship models.

And what of the rumours suggesting that Mitsubishi would create an 8-cylinder large car, enabling it to enter the Australian V8 Supercar competition? Perhaps the Motor Show will yield such answers...

For lovers of two wheeled machines, expect the likes of Suzuki and Honda to show off thier latest, and with any luck, the just-announced CBR600RR will be on show too (it's just been confirmed). Other marques expected to show off new models, concepts and prototypes at the show include:

- Aprilia
- Audi
- BMW
- Chrysler
- Daewoo
- Ferrari
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar
- Kia
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Maserati
- Mazda
- Mercedes-Benz
- MG
- Nissan
- Peugeot
- Porsche
- Renault
- Saab
- Subaru
- Volkswagen
- Volvo

The 2002 Sydney Motor Show runs from October 17 - 27 at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Habour. For more information on admission times and charges, check out the official website: www.SydneyMotorShow.com.au. Hope to see you there!