Sydney Motor Show – AUSmotive.com

GoAuto is reporting that Sydney’s hosting of a 2009 and 2010 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) is in serious doubt after a deal has reportedly been struck by organisers to alternate one major Australian motor show between Melbourne and Sydney.

The 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show (MIMS) will go ahead as planned, with almost all exhibition space confirmed. The Melbourne show is due to open on 27 February 2009.

AIMS promoter, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), has not confirmed the 2009 Sydney show has been axed, but has left that possibility open with FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar telling GoAuto, â€œIâ€™m in fact not ruling it in or out â€“ Iâ€™m not commenting on it at this point because we are working to get an outcome and once weâ€™ve got that outcome that will determine a whole set of circumstances for next year,â€ he said.

â€œI believe the Melbourne organisers are committed and in that context we urge the industry to get behind that and support it. A decision on Sydney will be made shortly. An announcement will probably be made as soon as it can be.”

A merger between Australia’s two major motor shows does not come as a surprise after several European manufacturers withdrew their support from the 2008 AIMS event, citing the costs of dual shows in Melbourne and Sydney as the major reason.

More information on this story can be found by reading the GoAuto article in full by following the link below.

Source: GoAuto

Australian International Motor Show – A German free zone?

GoAuto are reporting that Audi Australia has now been confirmed as the third major German manufacturer to withdraw from October’s Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney. Only Volkswagen remain confirmed, with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and now Audi pulling the plug. BMW subsidary MINI has not had an official presence at either the Sydney or Melbourne shows for some time.

In our relatively small market it is no surprise that Audi has cited the costs of major stands at the Melbourne and Sydney motor shows as the main issue behind their decision.

From GoAuto: “The top three German makers in Australia are all lobbying for such an alternating arrangement on the basis of cost (a single motor show exhibit can cost anywhere between $300,000 and $1 million), but say the retail focus of smaller shows like Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide actually cover their own costs.”

As you can imagine the thought of rotating shows hasn’t gone down well with the organisers of AIMS, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, or the Melbourne International Motor Show promoters, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce.

Click HERE to read the GoAuto article in full.