Although the automotive industry in Australia is small on a global scale and spread out across niches and eras, our market’s capabilities are set to be put front and centre at a new first-of-its-kind event this month.
Dubbed SESSION, it’s set to be far more than a simple car show, but rather an “automotive exhibition” that brings together the best businesses, cars, and industry figureheads under one roof.
Set to take place at the Sydney Showground on July 12, 2025, the event is the brainchild of Eugene Lee, who has more than his fair share of cred in the automotive and events industries.
From entering his own cars in Auto Salon events back in its heyday to being the Australian licensee for the tuner-focused HIN Events (Hot Import Nights) brand, his credibility within the space is what has helped tie this ambitious event together.
The event is spread across three main categories or ‘zones’ – Past, Present, and Future – along with featuring demo areas, a trade lounge, and a HIN Most Wanted modified vehicle competition with 22 awards up for grabs, including the Best Classic Build award sponsored by Retro Rides.
Although his automotive background and experience is mainly in the tuner scene, Eugene tells Retro Rides that the aim with SESSION is to reach out to parts of the Australian car industry beyond his own comfort zone in order to put the best of everything this country has to offer on display to key overseas markets, particularly in America and nearby Asia.
“I’ve been doing HIN Events for about eight years, so I want to expand on the stuff that’s the harder path for me, the Future zone and the Past zone, because I want to spend more time with these demographics that have never helped me before,” says Eugene.
“I’ve still got [my kind of] stuff in this show, but I want to do more crazy activations that actually get outside of just the ‘tuner cars’.
“It’s much more than just a car show, the whole intention behind it is much greater. We’re trying to help Australia, and help the whole game.”
As a result, the lineup of brands and cars at this event is diverse by design. Everything from clean classics and high-end European sports cars and supercars through to race builds, JDM icons, and next-generation EVs.
This diversity is represented through the list of major brands who will be exhibiting at SESSION including Honda, Zeekr, RWB, Go Garage, Sony, Rode, GFB, MCA Suspension, and more, making it “the first time a Sydney event has brought so many sides of the scene together under one roof”.
These displays won’t just be akin to a group of modded daily drivers in a supermarket carpark, either, with Eugene wanting this to feature cars and displays people rarely see or have never even seen before.
“Sometimes quality is more important than quantity. I’ve been really careful with every detail of the show so that everything shows the world that we’re serious,” Eugene explains.
“Because I have other businesses outside of car shows, I can actually do something which is quality rather than a cash grab. It’s going to offend a lot of people, but someone has to [push the car show boundaries] in Australia.”
As a result, there are many exclusives that will be on show at SESSION, including eight vehicle unveilings. Even the Show & Shine award trophies have been uniquely created by a 3D printing business displaying at the event, which will even be modelling and 3D-printing a car on site as a display of its capabilities.
Only making the event even more unique is a unique panel of guest speakers on stage from the likes of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, Zeekr, Shannons Insurance, GFB, Sony, and classic car EV conversion experts Electrogusto who will be exploring the future of the automotive space. Expect to see plenty of viral clips emerge from their conversations.
How you can win tickets to SESSION Sydney 2025
As a proud partner of the event, Retro Rides has 10 individual passes to give away to our followers.
For your chance to win, simply subscribe to the Retro Rides website before July 10 at 11:59pm AEST for your chance to win.
Winners will be announced on Facebook on July 11 at 10am AEST, along with being contacted via email.
Event details
- What: SESSION Sydney 2025
- When: 12 July 2025, 10:30am to 8:00pm
- Where: Sydney Showground, Halls 5 & 6 (1 Showground Road, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127)
- Tickets: $35 + booking fee via Ticketbooth
- Information: Visit the SESSION Sydney website
