Star cars from around the world are lining up to make their Australian debuts - and at least one global debut - at the Melbourne Motor Show which opens on 27 February. The 75th Melbourne Motor Show is the only major motor show to be staged in Australia in 2009, and global car companies are making the most of it.
BMW heads the list of exhibitors which are taking extra space to show off their latest models. Its M1 Homage show car will be the star of a dazzling two-stand display which makes BMW the biggest exhibitor at this year's Show, along with several still-secret production BMW models.
Volkswagen and Lexus are also mounting their biggest-ever show stands, while Holden retains its status as the biggest single-stand exhibitor. Show organisers have calculated that the local and global brands on show represent 94.7 per cent of Australia's total car sales. Among the stars already confirmed are the new Lexus RX350, Lotus Evora, Bentley Speed 8 and Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder.
Among those that are yet to be revealed are the latest in hybrids, luxury saloons, thrifty diesels, sports cars and family wagons from Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. At least one manufacturer is planning a mid-show global model launch synchronised with the Geneva Auto Salon, which opens a week after Melbourne.
As always, a highlight for old-car enthusiasts will be the Shannons Motor Show Auction display, this year featuring a rare 1914 Rauch & Lang electric car from the era when electrics outnumbered petrol cars - a time which may yet come again.
Melbourne International Motor Show runs from 27 February to 9 March at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and is organised and promoted by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce through its dealer division the Australian Automobile Dealers Association (Vic).
