One of the most awaited and the most anticipated trade shows was held in Delhi with a great feast of gleaming metals. The Auto Expo, which is held every alternative year is the biggest auto carnival in Asia that showcases various models of automobiles and auto component manufacturers. This year the 11th Auto Expo 2012 began as a 7-day expo on 5th January at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India and continued till 11th Jan.
Jointly organized by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the 11th Auto Expo 2012 was officially inaugurated by the Union Minister and Road Transport and Highways Minister. This edition of Auto expo will witness 1500 professional exhibitors, with 50 global brands showcasing their products. The exhibitors are from 24 nations including US, China, Thailand and Turkey.
This edition of Auto Expo, unveiled more than 50 brand new launches by the industry giants like Maruti Suzuki, Ford and Renault, Audi, BMW Mercedes Benz, etc. New launches include 24 cars by the domestic companies, 8 cars by global brands, and 8 two wheelers by Asian companies.
Following are few highlights of the 7 day expo.
- Maruthi Suzuki unveiled its entry in to SUV market, by launching ‘XA Alpha’ concept SUV.
- BMW group’s ‘Iconic Mini brand’ was the highlight of the first day, as the company announced its launch in India. Surprisingly, this model has been booked by around 100 customers in a short span of 6 days.
- India’s first super car, DC Avanti was unveiled by DC Design. The car has been promoted as the most affordable super car in the country with the price range of Rs.25 to 30 lakh.
- Audi launched first ever smallest Audi model, Audi Q3 and SUV whose price range is between Rs 20-28 lakh.
- India’s second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Bajaj Auto Ltd, unveiled its first ever four-wheeler, RE60 powered by a 200cc petrol engine which would be priced below Rs.2 lakh.
- General Motors launched Chevrolet Sail premium hatchback and Chevrolet MPV concept, developed for emerging markets.
- For the first time ever, Ford Motor revealed its compact Eco Sport SUV in India.
- The country’s second largest car maker Hyundai displayed its first multi purpose vehicle in India, ‘Hexa Space’, which features eight slim, hexagonal shaped seats that fit together like puzzle pieces.
- The Mahindra Group unveiled its Reva NXR next generation concept electric vehicle (EV).
- German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has unveiled BMW M5, the fastest luxurious sedan.
- Nissan Evalia is an award winning seven seater launched by Nissan which is the first urban class utility vehicle.
- The Indian Auto giant, Tata motors came up with new Safari christened – Tata Safari Storme along with several concepts like the Tata Indica Vista Concept S2, the Tata Manza Nova concept, the Tata Aria AT concept, Tata Xenon and a CNG variant of the Nano.
- Toyota Kirloskar Motors launched their new face-lifted Innova and new Fortuner.
- Volkswagen unveiled three cars claimed to be the world’s most efficient concept cars – the 2012 Beetle, new Touareg and the XL1 diesel hybrid concept.
- Renault with its new model ‘Pulse’ made an official entry in to the premium Hatchback market.
Coming to the motor bike category there are more than few launches. Lets have a look at the highlights.
- The Thunder Bird 500 launched by Royal Enfield, together with Harley Davidson’s FXDB Street Bob and FXDS Super Glide Custom got a huge response from the public, mainly from youngsters and media. The Thunderbird 500 packs a 500cc fuel-injected motor that pumps out 27 PS.
- Yamaha entered into the scooter segment with the launch of Yamaha Ray, an electric scooter. The company also displayed the Moto GP special YZR M1 and limited-edition versions of the recently updated YZF R15.
- The UK motorcycle maker, Triumph, marked its Indian debut with the introduction of seven motorcycles from four of its families consisting of street bikes, super-sports, adventure and power-cruisers. Few of them are Bonneville 865 cc, Tiger 800XC, Rocket III 2300cc, Thunderbird storm 1700cc.
- Honda motorcycle unveiled 7 models, among which the CBR150R and the Dream Yuga were the highlights.
All in all, the 11th Auto expo, the first global automotive show of the year is a great visual feast for the automotive lovers. The vehicles displayed at the expo unveiled the new developments that can be expected in the next two years in the Indian automotive industry.