Auto Expo 2016 to witness 80 new model launches

New Delhi: Around 80 new models will be unveiled at the upcoming India's flagship automobile show, the Auto Expo, which is expected to draw around 7 lakh visitors.

The five-day show, jointly organised by SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), ACMA (Automotive Components Manufacturers Association) and the Confederation of Indian

Industry, will take place from February 5-9 at Greater Noida.

"There will be around 80 product launches during the event. We expect 7 lakh footfalls this time around. Around 5.6 lakh people visited the show during the last edition of the show," SIAM President Vinod K Dasari told reporters here.

The show will see 65 exhibitors as against 55 in the previous show, he added.

In the previous edition of the expo around 70 products were launched.

"The focus this time around would be on electric and hybrid vehicles with a theme of mobility for all," Dasari said.

In order to make the show accessible for the general public, there would be shuttle bus service from Botanical Garden metro station to the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, the venue of the motor show, he added.

Elaborating on the venue, Dasari said the space has been increased to 73,000 square meter from the earlier 69,000 square meters.

Some of the major auto companies which would be participating in the show includes Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra, Hyundai Motor India, Honda Cars India, Tata Motors, Audi among others.

There will be new participants, including Jeep, Polaris, and Italian motorcycle maker Benelli.

Coinciding with the Auto Expo, ACMA will host the components show at the Capital's Pragati Maidan from February 4-7, in which around 1,500 exhibitors are expected to participate.

Around 900 of them are Indian firms, while the remaining 600 are from overseas, including China, Canada Germany, Japan and South Korea.

This is the second successive time that the Auto Expo is being held at Greater Noida with its original home Pragati Maidan proving to be inadequate to host the show, which has grown over the years.

CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said the industry is in talks with the government to establish at least one world-class exhibition centre soon as India currently lacks it when compared to US, Europe or China.

"We are working with the government to see if we can have at least one venue soon. The private sector will be happy to bring in equity and even operate it. We do expect to identify at least one such site within a year," Banerjee said.