Week-long auto exposition to focus on compact cars

The fair will see a host of car launches by global automobile majors

Keen to boost sales, global automakers are giving importance to India’s auto expo as they turn to India — one of the few remaining growth markets to keep their engines humming.

Who’s who in the auto sector — both global and domestic majors — will display their latest models as well as state-of-art technology at the auto show being jointly organized by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Association (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.  “We expect over ten global launches and previews of small and green cars by some of the world’s leading auto makers during this week-long event,” SIAM President Pawan Goenka told reporters here.

Apart from global launches a total 50 new launches, which includes variants of different existing models, will be held during the expo, he said.

The auto show will have no shortage of rivals — from the Japanese major Toyota Motor Corporation to U S-based General Motors — looking to debut their own compact cars as they seek a larger presence in India — one of the world’s few healthy auto markets.  
As auto experts say one of the prime reasons why global auto majors are queuing up at the Delhi auto show is that India is fast emerging as a  strategically crucial base for producing small cars for global automakers, many of which are looking to ship their cheap cars and components overseas.

Big ticket participation
During the week long event, auto majors like Honda and Toyota are expected to launch global concept of their compact cars, while the expo will also see automobile companies showcasing their green technologies. “As many as 2,100 participants from 30 countries including India will display their products at the auto expo,” Goenka said.
The week-long exposition will witness the largest ever overseas participation with country pavilions from Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Taiwan and the UK. Luxembourg will be the new entrant at the expo 2010.
DH News Service