Melbourne International Motor Show 2009: Coming AttractionsMotoring Channel Staff - 21/January/2009
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The Lexus LF-A will be on show in Melbourne
BMW's M1 Homage will be another star of the
2009 Melbourne International Motor Show
Too Many Motor Shows?As car makers around the world are increasingly reluctant to spend the big
dollars needed to showcase their vehicles at countless regional motor shows, more and more
cancellations are occurring. The Adelaide and Brisbane Motor shows
have been scrapped for 2009, and it's almost certain that the 2009 Sydney Motor
Show will also be postponed until 2010. In
2008 several car makers voiced their concern about the costs involved
in staging two large motor shows in Australia each year - Melbourne and
Sydney. As a result, the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche,
Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab, Alfa Romeo and Citroen boycotted the 2008 Sydney Motor Show. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have all been vocal opponents of two annual Australia motor shows, but a deal is believed to be finalised where the Sydney and Melbourne Motor Shows would run during alternate
years. Melbourne
will be showing in 2009, then Sydney in 2010, and alternating every
year henceforth. This arrangement has worked successfully for the Paris
and Frankfurt Motor Shows, and with the blessing of local car makers
Ford, Holden and Toyota it's pretty much in the bag here in Australia. - Feann Torr, Editor |
Audi's new compact 4WD, the Q5, will be one of
the highlights of the Audi exhibit in Melbourne
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Melbourne, Australia —
Expected to be Australia's only major auto show in 2009, the Melbourne
Motor Show kicks off on February 27th and will be home to a number of
intriguing vehicles, including Lexus's upcoming super car. Lexus LF-AOnce
thought to have been canned due to the financial downturn, Lexus's
plans for a V10-powered super car may have been moved to the
front-burner. Lexus chief executive John Roca said the Melbourne International Motor
Show signals a new era for Lexus, but would not confirm whether the new model is destined for production. "The LF-A is the ultimate representation of L-Finesse design and would
be a fantastic halo vehicle for the brand, if produced," said Mr Roca. The car being displayed at the Melbourne Motor Show - currently in its 75th year - is
a concept and previews sleek, aerodynamic body work made
from carbon-fibre and aluminium to keep weight to a minimum. The roofless vehicle is powered by a V10 engine that is "capable of producing more than 360 kilowatts" and has achieved "test-track speeds greater than 330km/h" according to Lexus. It will be the first Australian showing of the Lexus super car. BMW M1 HomageAnother
coup for the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show will be the
showing of one of BMW's most impressive concept cars of the last
decade - the M1 Homage. This audacious German concept car has a touch of retro design and is expected to pull big big crowds. Exhibitor Line-upBMW,
Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, Saab and other manufacturers
didn't attend the 2008 Sydney Motor Show last October, so having a
larger number of exhibitors in Melbourne can only be a good thing. The Melbourne International Motor Show's director Russ Tyrie was upbeat about the major brands attending the event: "Exhibitor interest proves that
many major marques are taking a positive view of our automotive future,
despite the tough times of recent months. "BMW and
Volkswagen have taken extra space this year, which reflects the
traditional desire of manufacturers to show their latest models to more
than 200,000 people in a single event," added Mr Tyrie. With
plans to exhibits across two stands, BMW will the biggest exhibitor at
the Melbourne automotive event, which it is expected to fill with a
number of other brand-new production vehicles. Some of the
European marques exhibiting at the Melbourne event include Porsche,
Lotus, Bentley, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Renault, Skoda,
Audi, BMW and Volkswagen. Of course the local trio of Ford,
Holden and Toyota will be there with large exhibits, and Asian brands like Honda, Kia,
Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru and Suzuki will also be in attendance. The Stars: The Cars
Some
of the other standout vehicles of the Melbourne International Motor
Show will include the Lotus Evora, the exotic Lamborghini LP560-4
Spyder and the insane Bentley Speed 8 race car. According to
the organisers, local and global brands on show represent 94.7 per cent
of Australia's total car sales, and many exhibitors expect to increase
sales during the event. Ford and Holden always come up with
headline grabbing models at the Melbourne Motor Show and 2009 is
expected to be no different. Holden will have the largest single stand exhibit and is expected to shed more light on its upcoming 4-cylinder small car,
and could also reveal plans for its expanding EcoLine range, possibly
even diesel versions of its Commodore and other new fuel saving
technologies. Ford meanwhile is rumoured to be considering
showing details of its new second generation Ford Territory, which is
going to need to be something special to fend off Toyota's Kluger which
has shot up the SUV sales charts. The electric vehicle revolution
that in evidence in Detroit earlier this year will also have an effect
in Melbourne, where a number of electric and hybrid vehicles will be
displayed. Furthermore, the organisers of the event has confirmed
that "at least one manufacturer is planning a mid-show global model
launch synchronised with the Geneva Auto Salon, which opens a week
after Melbourne". Audi Q5Audi will have a large exhibit
at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show, which will be headlines
by the all-new Q5 compact AWD. This will be the vehicles first ever showing on Australian soil and is expected to generate a lot of buyer interest. A rival
to BMW's X3 model, the Audi Q5 is packaged with the quattro
all-wheel drive system and is instantly recognisable as an Audi thanks
to the prominent single-frame grille emblazoned across the compact
AWD's face. Audi expects the Q5 to make a big contribution to its annual sales, which have risen solidly for four consecutive years. While
the overall new car market in Australia dropped by 3.6 per cent in 2008
- and is expected to sag by another 12 per cent in 2009 -Audi bucked the trend and recorded a sales increase of 30.2%
for 2008. Expected
to be Australia's only major motor show in 2009 (Sydney's years will be
2010, 2012, 2014 etc), the Melbourne International Motor Show is
shaping up very nicely indeed.
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