Motor Show Wrap

On one side of the glittering $50 million display at the Darling Harbour exhibition centre in Sydney is the $700,000 Lexus LFA, a sellout speed machine that can top 315km/h, and across the aisle is the latest $12,490 Holden Barina Spark.

It's a sign of the times that GM Holden, which stunned Australia when it revealed its Monaro concept car at Darling Harbour in 1998, has the Spark as its centrepiece for 2010. More than a decade ago the Holden stand was flooded by chequebook-waving fans who had to have a Monaro, but there is no repeat this time with the Spark.

Instead, the smallest Holden is going up against an all-new $12,990 Nissan Micra unveiled at the show and a Toyota Yaris that cops a price   chop as sales chief Dave Buttner does opening-day duties for Australia's favourite brand.

It takes more than four hours for each of the major makers at the show - and there are more than 35 brands in total - to make their pitch on opening morning. Each has something to say, from Audi with its baby A1 through to Volvo with the first local appearance of its new S60 sedan.

But the biggest news of all is that Australia finally has a single motor show. It took a walkout by many of the major brands, and months of talks between the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce that controls Melbourne and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries for Sydney, to reach a compromise that means there is finally a true Australian International Motor Show.

In 2011 it flips to Melbourne, with the date confirmed at July 1-10, and there are big plans to make an impact on the worldwide motoring calendar. The foundations are laid this year with the world debut of the T6 pickup twins, the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50, and Subaru also shows a Forester WRX-style concept that will be converted into a turbocharged headliner for showrooms in 2011.

"Today is our most significant motor show ever," says Ford Australia's president, Marin Burela, on opening day. "Australia is playing a key role in the global Ford product story.  Today's show is the springboard to the future."

His verdict is backed by Doug Dickson, the Mazda chief who heads the FCAI. "This show is different. It's time for a contemporary approach," says Doug Dickson, chairman of the organising committee and the managing director of Mazda Australia. "It presents the very best the global motor industry has to offer."

The show stands are packed but here are the stand-outs:

Car of the Show - Toyota FT-86
It's currently only a concept car, but the futuristic coupe provides the proof that Toyota is serious about putting emotion into its cars. It's feeling the squeeze from Korea and knows it needs to give people cars they want to buy, not just fridges with wheels.

Baby Boomer - Nissan Micra
The result of a five-year plan to create a cost-down tiddler that works for customers and Nissan's bottom line is a good looker with impressive safety. It's as cute as the current Micra but has airbags-ABS-ESP safety and a new-age three-cylinder starter engine to edge out the Holden Spark and Suzuki Swift.

Dream Machine - Lexus LFA
The one-off Mercedes SLS 'Blackbird' with flat-black paintwork makes a case, and and so does the Lamborghini Gallardo 570-4 Superleggera, but the LFA is a $700,000 sellout that will never be repeated. Every car costs Lexus money and that means the eight local owners have a future classic.

Home Run - WP Series II
Ford fans flock to the latest supercharged star at Ford Performance Vehicles, but the heaviest hitter is the supercharged, 460 kiloWatt-780 Newton-metre, Commodore from Walkinshaw Performance. The base price is $99,900 but four are sold almost as soon as the show opens.

Future Spark - Honda CRZ
There are fewer green machines in Sydney that most global shows, with electric cars struggling for traction in Australia. The CRZ is Honda's new hybrid headliner, although it will probably sell more of the family-friendly second-generation Insight.

Funk Factor - Range Rover Evoque
The first city car from the off-road pioneers is a game-changer for   the British brand. It will also be a huge hit in Toorak and Double Bay   once deliveries begin.

Big Tease - Nissan Patrol
Nissan Australia had to buy the Patrol show car from a dealer in the Middle East because right-hand drive production does not begin for nearly a year. It looks good and promises to take the fight right up to the Toyota LandCruiser, once there is a steering wheel on the right-hand side.