Stars Heading for Sydney Motor Show

SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 9, 2003 -- The Asia Pacific will see for the first time a line-up of new cars at the Sydney Motor Show just after their world premiere in Europe.

More than 60 all-new or revised production models and concept vehicles will be exhibited at the show from October 16 to 26, with many making their southern hemisphere debut.

The Maserati Quattroporte will be joined by new models from Subaru, Mazda and GM Daewoo -- all from the Frankfurt Motor Show.

"The Sydney Motor Show has become the annual focus for new model activity in Australia," said Peter Sturrock, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

"Manufacturers are placing great emphasis on markets within the Asia Pacific region, undoubtedly one of the areas in the world with the most potential for growth," Mr Sturrock said.

"Sydney has become a significant date on the annual automotive calendar and could be considered the unofficial start of the 2004 model year for the Australian automotive industry," Mr Sturrock added.

AsiaNet General Manager, Mr Mike Worner, said that while motor shows such as Detroit and Frankfurt attracted worldwide attention, the principal news agencies of the Asia Pacific region were particularly focusing on Sydney at this time.

"In China alone, passenger car sales are predicted to be more than two million in calendar 2003. General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen, Toyota and Honda are all investing billions of United States dollars in the Asian automotive industry," Mr Worner said.