The 15th Auto Expo was kicked off by the country’s largest carmaker Maruti-Suzuki as it historically has been, early in the morning. But the eight o’clock start on a cold Wednesday morning at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida could not take away from the fact that this Auto Expo was a little bit “thanda” (cold) in a matter of speaking for seasoned auto industry veterans.
With all major two-wheeler manufacturers with the exception of Suzuki and several large automobile manufacturers such as Honda, Ford, Audi and BMW as well as commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Ashok Leyland and Volvo-Eicher steering clear of the Auto Expo, the India Expo mart looked and felt emptier than it usually is for this celebration of the Indian automotive industry.
This was in no small part thanks to the last eighteen months for the industry, collapsing sales, rapidly declining margins and policy paralysis surrounding the introduction (or not) of electric vehicles, spending a few crores on a stand at the show might have seemed like an extravagance.
Indeed, if it were not for the Chinese manufacturers such as Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) through MG Motor and the soon to launch Great Wall Motors (GWM) even more halls might have gone empty.
But that did not stop a slew of new concepts that were introduced and new vehicles showcased at the Auto Expo. The shows-topper on the first day was the rebirth of Tata Motors’ Sierra SUV. The original Sierra which many consider India’s first “real” Sports Utility Vehicle has been given a modern makeover and while Tata Motors officials were quick to point out that this was just a concept, it really got the assembled crowds going. Maruti-Suzuki showcased the Futuro-E the concept of their future electric platform but gave no timelines of when such a vehicle will hit the roads although Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director, Maruti-Suzuki took a “pledge” that the carmaker would sell a million green vehicles, including CNG, hybrids and electrics in the coming decade.
However, it was French carmaker Renault that launched the first car of the Expo, the automatic version of the Triber.
Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia also took the opportunity to showcase their next concept vehicles, Hyundai showcased their facelifted Tucson and will unveil the second-generation Creta today with Kia showcasing their compact SUV, the ‘Sonet’. Kia also launched their much awaited MPV, the Carnival which has been priced between Rs 25-34 lakh. Mahindra and Mahindra announced their latest range of engines which will be used on Ssangyong and Ford vehicles and the Indian manufacturer also launched their eKUV electric small car at Rs 8.75 lakh. Chinese manufacturers SAIC and GWM also showcasing their upcoming products including small urban electric cars and SUV’s. German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, the only luxury manufacturer participating at the show showcased their upcoming A-Class limousine and GLA SUV, both of which will be launched later this year.
On the whole this was a relatively dull Auto Expo, but the overwhelming feeling from automobile manufacturers is that 2020 might see a revival of demand, which collapsed a few months after the previous Expo held in 2018. Will that happen? Keep watching this space.
