2011 Australian International Motor Show: The Highlights

It’s here, it’s filled with the stuff of dreams - cars to make you wet yourself – and the perfect antidote to a Melbourne winter.

Winter? Hold on, wasn’t Melbourne's Motor Show always a March thing?

The Melbourne Motor Show, now the Australian International Motor Show, had become as much a part of Melbourne in March as Moomba and the ‘birdman’ rally – when half the city becomes as mad as March hares and the other half watch.

In March, it was also loosely aligned with the Australian F1 Grand Prix, another Melbourne fixture.

And now it’s in July. So, whether the 2011 Australian International Motor Show pulls the 200,000-plus visitors of past years will be the nervous question for show organisers FCAI and VACC. 

The new date has more than a few things going for it though. Where the March date had the Melbourne event tripping over major shows like Detroit, Geneva and Shanghai, a July date aligns better with the global motor show calendar – providing a wider window for manufacturers to get their special cars here.

In theory then, you’d expect to see more new releases, concepts and show specials.

So, has it delivered? Well, yes, this show has more on offer than we saw in Sydney last year and certainly more than we’ve seen at Melbourne Motor Shows past. And is certainly worth a visit.