2013 AIMS: What might have been

THE Australian automotive industry would have been at full throttle this week if the Melbourne motor show had not been cancelled after organisers pulled the pin late in March, citing a lack of support from a number of car-makers.

While the future of the Australian motor vehicle manufacturing sector remains a hot-button issue in the lead-up to the federal election in September, many car companies – locals and importers alike – are pushing ahead with individual events, albeit without the fanfare associated with the annual show extravaganza.

Motor shows are years in the planning, and with the cancellation taking place less than three months ago, almost all the orders for concept cars and key new production models that were expected to wow the Australian public were already locked in.

Many are already here. Others are still on transporters steaming the high seas, aiming for a landing at Port Melbourne after car-makers decided it would make more sense shipping them here rather than the usual show practice of secretly flying them in a few days before their public debut.

Undeterred by the show’s cancellation, Mazda is pushing ahead with a world premiere this week, with the new-generation Mazda3 expected to be centre stage at an international multi-media event involving Melbourne and other cities.

Ford Australia is also planning a special event soon to present key new models it would have unveiled at the show, with the last and potentially greatest (2014) Falcon a strong contender – and the forthcoming Australian-developed Ranger-based SUV also ripe for public reveal.

From top: Toyota Corolla Sedan, Holden Commodore, Range Rover Sport, Nissan Juke and Volvo S60 Polestar.

Holden is now looking at other ways to showcase its VF Commodore’s new technology, Toyota’s redesigned Corolla sedan remains offshore for the time being, while Subaru has already hit the road with its ‘show-stopping’ WRX concept and other key new models, exhibiting them at dealerships around Australia rather than at ‘Jeff’s Shed’ in Melbourne.

At the luxury end, Mercedes-Benz was planning to premiere a trio of bespoke sports-luxury special editions, and Jaguar Land Rover has now made other arrangements for the Australasian debut of its all-new Range Rover Sport – which is still arriving this week for select customers and media to sample.

This will come as little consolation for the show-going Australian public, but GoAuto has contacted a number of brands to test whether the 2013 AIMS – if it had gone ahead from this Thursday as planned – would have been a disappointing, sub-standard collection of cars that the public would largely choose to ignore, as many have suggested.

This includes the top 10 biggest-selling brands in Australia, other mainstream brands and key luxury brands, some of which appear to have had plenty to lose from the show’s cancellation.

We’d like you to be the judge on whether the show should’ve gone on....

Mazda

Australia’s leading full-import brand was planning to attend this year’s motor show, and the new-generation version of its biggest-selling car – indeed, the biggest-selling car in Australia over the past two years, the Mazda3 – was expected to be a major drawcard at the show.

Mazda Australia is giving little away ahead of a special launch event embargoed until Thursday morning – the timing of which would have coincided with the opening of the Melbourne show – but it is widely anticipated that the Japanese car-maker will show the redesigned small car in an international hook-up staged in conjunction with global software giant Microsoft.

This would have been another coup for Mazda Australia, which staged the world debut of the BT-50 Freestyle Cab at the last Melbourne show in 2011, having eight months earlier hosted the global unveiling of the BT-50 (Dual Cab) at the 2012 AIMS in Sydney.

“We think the show was an important part of building our brand,” said Mazda Australia public relations manager Steve Maciver. “If we don’t have a show we are very cognisant of the fact that we do have to go and have something else to replace it.”Ford

Ford Australia has confirmed to GoAuto that it had a special unveiling planned for the Melbourne show, although it is now keeping its powder dry until it stages another event of its own making.

The Blue Oval used last year’s Sydney show to tease the forthcoming 2014 Falcon, and its chief designer Chris Svensson revealed to GoAuto that the company was planning to show the heavily revised new model during 2013.

That made the Melbourne show an obvious platform for revealing what is now known as the last Falcon ever after Ford last month announced it was pulling out of Australian manufacturing in 2016 – and taking the Falcon nameplate with it.

The Australian-developed Ranger-based SUV, near-production prototypes of which have been photographed in and around Melbourne recently, was another contender to make a world debut.

Ford Australia’s communications and public affairs director Sinead Phipps told GoAuto that it did have more than one option available.

“We did have a few things planned for AIMS and we are working on an alternative plan, but unfortunately I can’t share any of the details with you yet,” she said.

So, for now, we’ve been asked to watch and wait. Holden

Holden had tossed around a few ideas of what it could have done at this year’s Australian International Motor Show, but the event was cancelled before any plans were locked in.

Corporate communications director Craig Cheetham said the obvious show-stopper for Holden would have been the technology built into its heavily upgraded VF Commodore, although other things – which he declined to share – were considered.

“We discussed it (bringing in a major drawcard for the event), but the show was cancelled before we even started work on it,” Mr Cheetham said.

“We never actually finalised anything. There were a few ideas that were bandied around, but nothing was actually fixed.”

The local car-maker has since had bigger problems to deal with, announcing a $153 million loss last financial year and asking unions to come to the negotiating table to help it cut labour costs and return to profitability.

It has not committed to attending any future motor show.

“At this stage it is far too early to say,” Mr Cheetham said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

One potential candidate for the show floor, though, would have been the upcoming Holden Trax compact soft-roader. It arrives here in August.

Toyota

Australia’s best-selling car brand had little to say when GoAuto contacted it about what might have been at this year’s show.

“We were considering a number of options,” the Japanese brand’s public relations manager Mike Breen said.

He said Toyota had not made any alternative plans following the motor show’s cancellation, and was yet to make a decision about the next one.

“We’re always planning for opportunities, but it’s too early to discuss,” Mr Breen said.

Toyota is likely to have shown its all-new, European-styled Corolla sedan, revealed earlier this month and due here early next year. The Corolla is a big earner for Toyota in terms of sales, as it often takes the monthly mantle as Australia’s best-selling car.

Mercedes-Benz

The only German luxury brand to show its cars at last year’s Sydney-based show planned to be back again this year, and with a very loud bang.

For the last few shows, Mercedes-Benz has wowed audiences with bespoke, one-off models that make their way off the show stand floor and into a lucky owner’s driveway. Think the bespoke SLK Black, striking blue C63 with a snow-white interior, and the sparkling silver SLS Roadster of last year.

This year was to be no exception. According to the brand’s manager of corporate communications Jerry Stamoulis, three very special vehicles were destined for Melbourne, although instead of making the cars available to everyone, they’re now destined to be seen by only a select few.

Mercedes-Benz is keeping details of the special cars under wraps until possibly later this week, namely because after Melbourne’s cancellation the cars were being shipped rather than flown here to save on costs.

Built in mid-May, the slow boat that now carries them should be here by Thursday.

Hyundai

Even the best-laid plans are often undermined by unexpected events, and this was definitely the case for Korean brand Hyundai.

The car-maker’s general manager of public relations, Bill Thomas, said Hyundai had “pretty significant plans” for the 2013 motor show that were now on hold.

“But I don’t want to go into any details of what that was,” he said.

The car-maker could have shown a version of its recently developed hydrogen fuel cell-powered ix35 compact soft-roader, or possibly the HD-9 sports coupe concept that alludes to the brand’s future design direction, unveiled in Korea a few months ago.

Mr Thomas said the car-maker had diverted efforts from the show since its cancellation and instead set up displays at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and Brisbane’s Ekka show promoting the brand.

He said Hyundai was unsure if it would attend any future motor show. “We’ll just keep in touch with the event’s organisers and work with them carefully, and make a decision from there,” he said.

Nissan

Japanese car-maker Nissan said it had considered previewing a selection of forthcoming all-new models at the Melbourne-based motor show, but shelved plans after the event was cancelled.

It bounced back pretty quickly, according to Nissan Australia corporate communications general manager Peter Fadeyev.

“Nissan’s marketing initiatives for 2013 were set some time before the announcement to cancel the 2013 Australian International Motor Show,” he said. “The show’s cancellation has allowed us to redirect resources to bolster other planned programs.”

Nissan could have provided us with a first look at its Juke, a compact soft-roader that shares its platform with the Micra city car. It is also due to launch the GT-R Black Edition, an even more hardcore version of its already hectic twin-turbo V6 supercar, this month.

Australia also could have had its first close-up look at the Altima, Nissan’s new mid-size sedan due on sale later this year. Spaceframe clones of the car wearing a V8 engine under their bonnets are already competing in the V8 Supercars championships.

Meanwhile, Nissan is remaining tight-lipped about its plans to attend any future motor shows, saying only that it was “too soon to discuss marketing planning” for next year.

Land Rover

After showing us the comfort-laden Range Rover last year, the British brand that invented the luxury off-roader segment is back again. This time around it has its mud-plugging athlete, the Range Rover Sport, to show us.

But rather than sporting Wellies and fuelling itself with marmalade on toast, the sportiest Sport is clad in bitumen-hugging low-profile rubber and powered by a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine.

According to Land Rover brand manager Tim Krieger, the car-maker will still extract value from its show car despite having nowhere to show it.

“We have an activation program which will see the vehicle displayed at exclusive locations around Australia,” he said.

With a new Defender due by 2015, and the Freelander expected to adopt the Discovery name late next year, Land Rover hasn’t ruled out on being part of any future Australian motor show.

Honda

Honda Australia had planned to attend the motor show, and would have used it to showcase its all-new Accord mid-sizer that has just gone on sale locally.

Honda Australia public relations manager Melissa Cross confirmed that there were no plans to bring in a Honda show car. That effectively rules out any chance of Australia seeing the NSX hybrid sports car concept or the Jazz-based Urban SUV concept revealed at this year’s Detroit show.

Ms Cross said a return to any possible future motor shows would be a decision for senior management.

Next up for Honda Australia is a diesel version of its popular CR-V compact SUV which looks set for an early 2014 arrival.

Infiniti

A relative newcomer to the Australian market, Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti had planned to have a berth at this year’s motor show.

However, corporate communications general manager Peter Fadeyev said when the car-maker discovered that many of the major competing luxury automotive brands would not be exhibiting, “the decision was made to not attend”.

“Subsequently, Infiniti has redirected marketing resources to other local programs,” Mr Fadeyev said.

Infiniti will replace its G sedan range with the upcoming Q50 late this year, and Melbourne may have been our first opportunity to see the 3 Series-rivalling car up close. The all-new Q50 – Infiniti is abandoning the “G” name and replacing it with “Q” – was revealed internationally at the Detroit motor show in January.

Kia

KIA’S decision whether or not to have a stand at the 2013 Australian International Motor Show was effectively made for it when the show was cancelled earlier this year.

Kia Australia general manager of public relations Kevin Hepworth confirmed the company was discussing the show at the time of the announcement.

However, he said the lack of available Kia-branded show cars would have meant the South Korean car-maker was without a star attraction for the 2013 show.

Mr Hepworth said Kia would seriously consider returning to the motor show if a Sydney-based version received a go-ahead for next year, although all options were open.

Kia potentially could have shown its all-new Cerato hatch, which arrives in local showrooms in the coming months. It could also potentially have brought out its sporty second-generation two-door Koup that launches late this year.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi was one of a number of brands that was yet to lock in a stand at Melbourne before the event was cancelled.

A decision to attend the show was still in discussion when it was cancelled, according to Mitsubishi Australia manager of corporate communications Caitlin Beale.

Because no plans were confirmed by the time the event was pulled, Mitsubishi had no alternative plans and will instead focus on its current model line-up and future model releases.

That includes the ASX sub-compact SUV that gets an automatic gearbox behind its diesel engine in July before the Mirage range adds a bright new green colour option the same month.

While the Outlander plug-in hybrid is not scheduled to arrive until early next year, pre-launch marketing activities will likely kick in by the end of 2013.

Subaru

It may come as a surprise to learn that Subaru’s Australian outpost knew nothing of a special WRX unveiled at the New York motor show in March.

The futuristic performance car could have made centre stage at Melbourne, however, company national corporate affairs manager David Rowley said the the availability of the concept vehicle was only known after the show’s cancellation.

Instead of parking it in a shed, Mr Rowley said Subaru had included the concept vehicle as part of a travelling performance car roadshow that is doing the rounds of the car-maker’s Australian dealerships.

The public roadshow has already visited Melbourne and Adelaide, and is stopping at Denlo Parramatta until June 30.

Mr Rowley said the car-maker would assess the success of the roadshow as a stand-in for the Australian International Motor Show at the completion of its run.

“On the plus side we’re getting a dedicated Subaru audience, however exposure to greater numbers would be nice,” he said.

Meanwhile, Subaru said it had not started planning for next year’s motor show.

Volvo

Last week’s revelation that a Volvo would once again race in Australia’s premier sportscar event is nothing but a coincidence, according to the car-maker’s Australian arm.

The timing of the Volvo S60 Polestar’s launch in Australia had not been influenced by the motor show, with the Swedish car maker adding it did not make any alternative plans in the wake of the event’s cancellation.

However, the car-maker has warned that lining up on the V8 Supercars grid next year does not mean it expects an automatic entry into next year’s motor show.

“If the event is confirmed in good time then we will factor it into our planning process before making a firm decision on whether to attend,” said Volvo Car Australia corporate communications manager Oliver Peagam.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen had planned to attend this year’s motor show, but backed away from it after reviewing its status with organisers.

Volkswagen Group Australia communications general manager Karl Gehling said that the car-maker did not believe the show would have had a significant improvement in attendance, and the cost of attending would be better spent elsewhere.

Another challenge for the Australian arm of the German car-maker was the timing of global product launches, which made it difficult to plan unique show displays.

Volkswagen cites the show’s lack of global debuts and significant new product launches as one of the contributing factors to its fall in the number of people drawn to the event.

Volkswagen said the budget allocated to the show would be spread across marketing events throughout Australia rather than concentrating its efforts in one region.

Alfa Romeo/Fiat

Along with its US brands, local factory-backed distributor the Fiat Chrysler Group had no plans for an Alfa Romeo or Fiat stand at this year’s AIMS.

Former distributor Ateco did not show Fiat or Alfa in 2011 and the new entity chose not to be involved with the motor show for last year’s event in Sydney.

The two Italian brands are now featured in television advertising and cross-promotional activities after years in the marketing wilderness under Ateco.

While Alfa Romeo has already introduced an entry-level version of the Giulietta, Fiat will reintroduce the Punto small car in August after it was dropped from the line-up in May 2010.

Another second small hatch - the Panda – will arrive in quarter four this year and sit above the 500 and Punto in Fiat’s local line-up.

Chrysler/Jeep

Fiat Chrysler’s American brands were not scheduled to appear at this year’s Australian International Motor Show, preferring to spend their marketing dollar on more “worthwhile” ventures.

Jeep Chrysler uses product integration on television shows such as Channel 10’s Masterchef and The Today Show on Channel Nine to promote its brands as well as lucrative sporting sponsorships, while the current “I bought a Jeep” campaign is proving a success for the company.

The rest of 2013 is looking pretty quiet for the Chrysler brand after launching the 300 sedan range last year, while Jeep’s schedule is decidedly busier.

July will see the launch of the heavily revised Grand Cherokee large SUV, while the all-new controversially styled Cherokee will arrive early in 2014.