Australian motor show to return in 2015

The momentum of the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) seemed to have creaked to a halt last year, when it was announced the 2013 show would not go ahead. However it seems the show will go on -- in some form yet to be revealed.

The organisers of the joint venture event -- the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) -- today announced the end of their partnership but signalled that a show is in the planning for 2015.

The two organisations banded together after 2009, when several car brands boycotted both the Sydney and Melbourne annual shows, saying they wanted a single show that alternated between the two cities.

The first of the joint venture shows was held in Sydney the next year, followed by Melbourne in 2011 and Sydney again in 2012. But with some car brands still declining to book show floor space, and audiences starting to dwindle, the 2013 show planned for Melbourne was cancelled.

But today's announcement of the joint venture dissolution also revealed plans are well under way for a "next-generation motoring festival" in Melbourne in 2015. "The event will include manufacturers and importers, and also motoring clubs, vehicle displays and exhibitions," the statement said. "It will be dynamic and interactive and provide audience participation at a suitable venue where visitors can test drive a range of makes and models."

"VACC and FCAI have mutually agreed that the time is right to develop a new-look motor event, thus rendering redundant the existing business arrangement between the two organisations." The organisers said more information about the new show would be revealed as development progressed.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott