Reborn Godzilla, Land Rover LRX for Melbourne show

Nissan has confirmed that its all-new GT-R will make its first Australian appearance at the 2008 Melbourne International motor show.

The hotshot Nissan will be the star of a big lineup that will include cars launched just before the doors swing open on February 29, as well as many held in abeyance to coincide with the event.

The 2008 show  - which will not include cars from non-starters Aston Martin, Bentley,  Citroen, Jaguar, Lotus, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Smart and SsangYong - is expected to feature the likes of Peugeot's new 308, the four-door Mini Clubman, Nissan's sub-X-Trail Dualis SUV, the new Subaru WRX STI and Ford's tarmac-shredding F6X Territory.

The BMW stand will feature the new twin-turbo "sports" diesel, the X5 3.0sd, as well as the new 320d and the rapid 335i Touring wagon.

Vying with the GT-R as the most significant show appearance will be Land Rover's baby LRX Concept, first seen at the Detroit motor show in January this year and specially flown into Melbourne for the occasion.

Making pains to point out it's a concept only, Land Rover is expected nevertheless to bring the LRX to world markets as a sub-Freelander SUV with plenty of visual references to Land Rovers past.

Billed as only the second concept to be produced by the company, the LRX is claimed to be a showcase for new technologies including lightweight design as well as a super-efficient hybrid turbodiesel powertrain.

The Melbourne show will also feature a new Aussie-designed and built two-seat sports car, the E-Vade.

The car is the brainchild of ex naval engineer David Walter and is being planned around two variants - a 300kW road version and 500kW track version, both using a mid-mounted 300kW Nissan V6 engine.

The brutal 353kW/586Nm Nissan GT-R was revealed to the Australian press in Japan in December 2007 and is not to go on sale locally until 2009, tagged at approximately $150,000.

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