It may surprise you, but as the Melbourne Motor Show draws to a close, I'm feeling thoroughly disappointed. Not for the fact that it's finished, and that there now won't be another one in Melbourne until 2011 - I'm disappointed because there wasn't a whole lot to see.I mean, yes, there were some important new releases, some great new eco-friendly technology, but ultimately, the appeal of something like a Motor Show is the variety of cars on show. That was missing this year - this is probably due to a multitude of reasons, the most important of which involves words like "economic" and "crisis". The spaces between cars was huge this year, and it felt almost empty. Not empty of people, but of cars. There is still strong public support for the Motor Show, as there has been for some years now, but this time, the carmakers just didn't rock up to the party. Perhaps this is why the Melbourne Motor Show has been rescheduled to every two years - Motor Show organisers want everyone to turn up.

There were so many quite important carmakers that were a no show that they were almost impossible to count. Not that it stopped me. I counted a total of 17 carmakers that ordinarily, would have been there, but were in fact absent. Count them if you don't believe me.

I certainly mourned Alfa Romeo, not just for the cars, but the seemingly mandatory sexy models in shiny red dresses. Instead, we had blonde bimbos in skimpy frills attempting to glamourise Toyotas. Not as satisfying.

Of course, American carmakers like Chrysler and Dodge and Jeep were absent, obviously because they are more strapped for cash than a boarding university student (and come from the same broke parent company). I didn't really miss them as much, coincidentally. Inexplicably, Hummer managed to get one solitary H3 under the lights of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Why Lord, why? I did miss Citroen, however. I was very much keen to explore the insides and outs of the new C5, and fall in love with the C4's dash design (and 3-door hatchback) all over again.

In the sports car arena, both Ferrari and Maserati were missing, leaving only Lamborghini to wave the flag for exotic Italian carmakers. I have also been waiting for Aston Martin to turn up for what seems like an eternity - the last time they showed was 2007, from memory. Any glimpse of a DB9 is absolutely worth every cent of the entry ticket price.

Fiat wasn't there, which I was annoyed by - I was having fun guessing what accessories they would have on display in their 500 demo car. Fashionistas would have been further disappointed by Mini and Smart, as they too failed to show. Even Land Rover decided they'd give the 2009 Melbourne show a miss.

Probably the most significant were Jaguar and the venerable Mercedes-Benz - while the absence of Jaguar is easily explained (they were struggling before the world economy went into self-destruct mode) but Mercedes remains a mystery. Perhaps this is a by-product of rapidly falling sales in premium segments? Not even Volvo made a showing, and they had the new XC60 to promote.

So you would think that a less luxurious brand such as, say, Proton, would be there instead? Nope, wrong again. No Ssangyong either, which surprised me - they usually have a much bigger stand than what they deserve.

If you had never been to the Motor Show before, you'd be forgiven for thinking these carmakers didn't exist. But they do, and it's a greater sign than ever that they're in some financial strife. I would suggest to buy cars from them (not Proton and Ssangyong, idiot) - not only will it help to inject cash into these struggling carmakers, it will be lighter on your wallet. At some manufacturers, some cars are being sold for frankly ridiculously low prices, so take advantage of it.

So even though I'm going to hold a grudge against these carmakers for not turning up to Melbourne 2009, I'm suggesting that we support them by buying their products. I'm a bit of a hypocrite sometimes, aren't I?

MELBOURNE 2009: Wrap-up