The Auto Expo made its debut in India in 1986 and since then it is being organized at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. But now because of many more manufacturers getting interested in the Indian car market, the organisers are falling short of space and the Auto Expo will now be shifting to a new much larger (47,000 sq metres) and fully air-conditioned venue at Greater Noida. The 2014 Auto Expo is scheduled to start on February 5 next year. All the available space is sold out to 40 automakers across the globe.
Companies such as Chrysler, Isuzu Motors and Hyosung will be participating for the first time at the Indian Auto Expo. According to Sugata Sen, deputy director general, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) the upcoming Auto Expo will have the largest number of companies participating, displaying highest number of cars, bikes and other vehicles ever shown in India. It is expected to be a SUV dominating event, where most of the launches are likely to be coming from this body type, as this segment is experiencing tremendous amount of growth.
SUVs that are likely to be showcased are Chrysler’s Jeep lineup, Honda’s new Urban SUV and Maruti Suzuki’s Alpha production version, based on the Swift platform. New entrants such as Great Wall Motors with their Haval H5 will also be present at the grand event. Nissan has just introduced the Datsun brand in India and the Datsun GO hatchback is expected to be launched at the 2014 Auto Expo. The South Korean bike maker Hyosung is also ready to showcase their latest offerings. So there will be plenty of action in both car and bike categories at the 12th Auto Expo.
Source – The Economic Times
