The Indian automotive industry is gearing up to stamp its authority on the international arena with the 9th Auto Expo that will witness four global launches of new cars, including the much-touted Tata’s Rs 1 lakh car.
Around 20 new vehicles are expected to be launched by 45 domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers during the expo.
Maruti will unveil its concept car A-Star and Splash, while Volkswagen will exhibit its sports utility vehicle called Touareg. Honda will present its compact car Jazz and Mercedes its new C-class sedan. Dilip Chhabria plans to launch his sports car range under his own DC brand and called ‘S’. It will be in the Rs 25-lakh price band.
Hybrid vehicles
Apart from the small car, the event will witness the launch of the Hummer H3, Cadillac CTD, Chevrolet Sequel, Chevrolet T2x, Chevrolet WTCC Ultra and Chevrolet Captiva from the General Motors stable.
Honda will be showcasing Honda Civic, Honda F1 Earth car, and the Honda Fuel Cell Car. Fiat Group Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne will be spearheading the company’s showcase of its cars as it aims to reclaim lost ground in the country. Iconic Fiat 500 or the Cinquecento, Bravo, Grande Punto and the much-awaited Fiat Linea will also be showcased. On display will be 1.3 multijet engine in Fiat Palio.
Noida-based FireFox Bikes Ltd will launch ‘Madone-5.2’ bicycle, priced at Rs 1.68 lakh at the expo. The company is sourcing the bike from its US-based partner — Trek. The company has already launched a ‘Fuel Ex 8 bike’ bicycle, priced at Rs 1,06,000.