2025 Melbourne Motor Show: Encouraging Return Signals Fresh Opportunity for Industry

2025 Melbourne Motor Show: Encouraging Return Signals Fresh Opportunity for Industry

After more than a decade’s absence, the Melbourne Motor Show returned to modest fanfare this month. While considerably smaller than in its heyday, the reimagined event attracted a claimed 45,000 visitors over two days — a sellout according to organisers and a figure that suggests there’s still public appetite for automotive showcases in Australia.

For many industry observers, the show’s return couldn’t be better timed, coinciding with unprecedented disruption in the Australian automotive market. With new brands scrambling for attention and established players reassessing their marketing strategies, a well-executed motor show fills a gap that digital campaigns alone cannot address.

The industry’s question now is whether this revitalised event can successfully balance consumer and industry relevance and financial sustainability — a balance that proved elusive for previous iterations of Australian motor shows.

A mix of new and established brands

Most major players sat out the 2025 comeback show. With established brands like Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Nissan and Hyundai absent, the floor space was dominated by the new brands (think: Deepal, Leapmotor and JAC) and ‘growth’ OEMs, including MG and Peugeot.

A number of brands used the show to debut new models. In fact, both MG and JAC claimed global firsts. More on that below.

Zeekr and a relaunched Foton were other ‘newbies’ with a presence. In contrast, largely the top-end of town and performance and supercar brands such as Porsche and McLaren relied upon dealer displays.

Indeed, the burgeoning number of Chinese carmakers entering the Australian market was an opportunity for the organisers.

“The new brands are the ones that want to make a splash. They’ve got marketing budget, and they’re ready to attack the market,” show organiser Craig Phinn told TheAutoExec in a post-event interview.

“I think we had 14 [new model] reveals to Australia and two global launches and then a couple of brand debuts with Brabus, and so on. That’s what the motor show is [about],” Phinn explained.

“It was a big point for us to show up with new things and that came across quite well…”

A positive review

Phinn claims brand feedback included good levels of enquiry, test drives and sales. When TheAutoExec quizzed participating OEMs, the story was similar — although visibility and awareness, not sales, were the measures most were referencing.

“It’s 10 months of hard work and convincing people to get into a room together and it paid off,” Phinn stated.

“So 45,000 paying public through the door and many, many cars sold through the OEMs — it all came together.”

Phinn suggested that face time with the general public was also valuable — to the new brands especially.

“I mean, for them, it was probably a bit of a shock to the system to have that many people go past their stands. It’s new for everyone. The marketing departments of some of these big brands are 25 to 35-year-olds, and they haven’t done a motor show before, so absolutely… A good learning experience.”

From the OEM side, newcomers were effusive with their praise for the show. TheAutoExec spoke with representatives of Deepal, Zeekr and Leapmotor who were all upbeat.

MG unveiled six new vehicles at the Melbourne event including the global reveal of the MG U9 ute, and reported a “rewarding experience”. According to MG COO Giles Belcher: “To see such big crowds was superb. It’s clear the public has been starved of these events and the passion to see new models was very strong.

“It has the potential to be very important for the local automotive industry,” he added.

Just four months or so after JAC landed its first models in volume locally, the Melbourne Motor Show was an opportunity for the brand to introduce itself to Australian consumers.

JAC Motors Australia Managing Director, Ahmed Mahmoud told TheAutoExec: “I always saw the Melbourne Motor Show or an event of that calibre as important to grow awareness of our brand and dare I say, positive awareness as well. I’m sure many people went onto our stand going, ‘who’s JAC?’ And I hope they left our stand with: ‘Wow, this is a good truck; this is a good brand.’

“We had customers ring their local dealer and say, ‘How do I put a deposit on that car that was centre-stage on the JAC stand?’ It was wonderful in a concentrated way. We were able to mix it with the best… The optics of us being there meant that we are here to stay, we are invested in the local market.”

Established brands saw positives

Subaru Australia’s General Manager Scott Lawrence was enthusiastic: “The turnout and energy at the Melbourne Motor Show was incredible, and it’s clear there’s a strong appetite for these events in Australia after an almost 15-year hiatus. The response to Subaru Australia’s presence was phenomenal. Our stand was buzzing all weekend.”

Kia similarly found value in the event, confirming via a statement to TheAutoExec: “The Melbourne Motor Show was a great opportunity for Kia, providing a high-profile platform to showcase to a passionate audience of motoring enthusiasts.

“Our stand attracted more than 180 people per hour, and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback — particularly about the Tasman [pick-up].”

Brands TheAutoExec spoke to that chose not to participate watched the show from afar but stopped short of confirming 2026 participation.

Hyundai, for instance, is in ‘wait-and-see’ mode, noting: “Sure, we’ll look at it for next year based on info provided about this year’s event. Certainly not ruling it out — for this year, there wasn’t really a new product aligned with the event’s timing for us to push.”

Porsche opted for representation through its dealer network rather than direct participation, with an official statement indicating they “have not yet evaluated the significance of future editions of the event, including the 2026 show.”

These measured responses reflect the cautious approach many established manufacturers are taking — willing to consider participation but needing to see demonstrated value.

Focus on cars, not extravagance

One notable shift from previous motor shows was the deliberate emphasis on vehicles rather than elaborate stands.

“That’s our entire message to them [the brands]: really make the car the star,” Phinn told TheAutoExec.

This pragmatic reset is precisely what the motor show concept needed to work Down Under. The previous arms race of increasingly elaborate stands contributed significantly to the demise of earlier shows, creating an unsustainable cost structure that delivered diminishing returns. Phinn’s team has carved a more viable path forward by letting the metal do the talking.

While most car brands are bound by strict CI (corporate identity) rules for show exhibits, Phinn is pushing a pragmatic approach for 2026.

“Brand guidelines are still there. [But] I think the world’s changed a little now where competition spurs more people wanting to do smart things. I mean, we weren’t pushing for massive $500,000 stand builds. Our point is we are going to get the public through the door to play with your new [models, etc]. Whether that’s [on] a $100K stand or a $500K stand, they’re still going to come past. So there are still some of the brands that would want to spend a lot more, and maybe they’re questioning it based on their history, but I think that’s changing.

“We are quite smart. We’ve got a dynamic team and we do all the stand builds in house and we also weren’t charging a great deal for the actual ability to be there. We knew we had to keep it cost-effective for the brand. It isn’t anywhere near what it used to be, let’s just say that,” Phinn stated.

Test drives were a differentiator from previous major shows, Phinn contends.

“That was massive and that’s another area that we will grow because we want to get people’s bums on seats to buy cars. That’s the whole point, essentially. And obviously mix that with all the aftermarket zone and the activations from Hot Wheels and Lego and all those things. But the bums on seats and manufacturers being able to sell cars there and then is a massive focus for us. We will definitely grow that next time.”

JAC’s Mahmoud was cautious to endorse the test drive element in toto.

“It was fantastic, but it still took them away from the show and it took them down to a car park and kind of lost the magic of the bells and whistles of the stand. The stand was a big investment with big screens and beautiful cars. And then it took them away from that beautiful environment, walked them downstairs into a cold car park.

“It worked in terms of ‘I like the test drive, thank you’. But we’re going to have to reevaluate the connection between the magic that happens on the stand and the test drive [environment].”

Looking ahead: Bigger ambitions for 2026

The Melbourne Motor Show organiser is already planning a significantly expanded show for 2026.

“For 2026, we’ve already taken a good few phone calls… A lot of the other brands were sitting back and watching to see what would happen. And they all came along [on the public days].” Phinn explained.

“The guys that jumped on Year One were attacking the market essentially. And Year Two, will be way bigger. We’ve actually just booked the whole convention centre. We had 11 bays over the weekend. We’ve now got 20 [bays] for 2026. We’re backing ourselves based on the knowledge that we’ve got more coming,” Phinn enthused.

Phinn says a B2B section of the show will be added, and, with a significant proportion of ticket sales from outside of Victoria, Phinn says the state government is paying attention too.

“We will have a B2B area and when it comes to government interaction with us… Vic Government’s now obviously taking an interest.

“We’re a private [owned] major event and 22% of the ticket holders came from interstate, so that’s about 7000 people. For Victoria itself, they’re loving that. And we’ll probably get some help with some more interesting things that are kind of outside our realm [right now].”

While the organisers plan to run the event annually for the first few years to build momentum, Phinn envisions eventually transitioning to a biannual format with Melbourne as the permanent home. This is in contrast to previous iterations.

“The goal is to keep it in Melbourne and make it the National Motor Show… And obviously it’s the continent’s motor show…”‘

Industry perspective: Promising start

From an industry standpoint, the successful return of the Melbourne Motor Show offers several positives. The strong attendance figures and reported engagement at manufacturer stands suggest genuine consumer interest that could translate to sales leads and brand awareness.

The focus on cost-effective participation addresses a long-standing industry concern about exhibition expenses. And for new market entrants in particular, the show provided a valuable platform to introduce themselves to Australian consumers.

Concerns noted above aside, the test drive component represented an evolution of the traditional motor show format into something more experiential and sales-focused. This is important when so much new car information is available at a swipe of a smartphone.

JAC boss Mahmoud told TheAutoExec he believes ensuring the motor show offers experiences that consumers cannot get in a dealership is a key to successfully building on 2025’s momentum.

“I think that’s the key. We’ve got to continue to differentiate these events from dealer sales events. If I want to see 65 new models, I’ll go to Auto Alley in Parramatta. But if I want to see it [new models] and not have pressure and still be inspired at the same time, I’ll go to a motor show.

“OEMs have a big part to play there with global [new model] reveals. But what, I don’t know, let’s think about cutaways of engine technology. You don’t get that at dealerships. What about presentations from global heads of manufacturing? You don’t get that at a dealership. So somehow we’ve got to create a drawcard. We need unique interactivity,” Mahmoud mused.

Yet questions remain about whether the show can attract broad industry participation, particularly from those brands who’ve developed alternative marketing strategies during the motor show’s lengthy absence. The ambition to expand significantly for 2026 also raises concerns about whether such growth can be sustained, especially if the organisers eventually aim to transition to a biannual format.

Most of the OEM representatives TheAutoExec spoke with believe there will be a significant uplift in participation in 2026.

Balanced opportunity / TheAutoExec’s TakeAway

Cards on the table, were I advising brands currently on-the-fence about 2026 participation, I’d suggest making the decision very soon. The show’s likely growth in both exhibitors and attendance is sure to create FOMO, but early commitment will also allow longer lead time for integration with brands’ broader marketing strategies — something that appeared lacking in some displays this year.

Alternatively, it can also give brands time to maximise opportunities to piggyback on the interest the show will create.

What’s clear is that the 2025 Melbourne Motor Show demonstrated there’s still a place for a general automotive exhibition in Australia’s marketing landscape. There’s been traction via EV-focussed shows recently but for manufacturers with broader ranges seeking to connect directly with enthusiastic consumers, the event provided a ready-made audience of 45,000 engaged attendees.

The return of the Melbourne Motor Show represents an interesting test case for automotive exhibitions in the digital age. The two-day attendance figure is encouraging — I’m yet to be convinced the likely move to three days in 2026 (Fri-Sun) is absolutely necessary.

For 2026, the key metric won’t just be attendance numbers, but whether established brands see enough ROI to justify participation. The emphasis on test drives and direct consumer engagement rather than lavish displays points to a potentially sustainable model that complements rather than competes with digital marketing strategies.

What’s most telling is how the show has evolved to meet current market dynamics. The strong presence of emerging brands demonstrates how these events can still serve a vital role in brand introduction and consumer education, particularly for new market entrants.

The other key to sustained success will be maintaining the balance between cost-effective participation for exhibitors and compelling experiences for visitors — something the previous incarnation of Australian motor shows ultimately failed to achieve.

Extra opening hours aside, the planned expansion for 2026 and early signs of interest from manufacturers who sat out this year’s event, the future looks cautiously promising. The industry now has an opportunity to help shape what could become a valuable addition to Australia’s automotive calendar.