Auto expo ends with record crowds

One of the most popular exhibitions in New Delhi that draws lakhs of car enthusiasts, the 10th AutoExpo, came to a close on Jan 11. The jostling crowds were not disappointed. Like every time, there was an exciting variety of new, stylishly designed futuristic vehicles, including powerful two-wheelers, popular with the young crowds.

India’s emergence as a major market and a hub for the global auto industry was reinforced with the launch of an unprecedented 72 vehicles in virtually every segment by domestic and multinational companies.

The seven-day Auto Expo had over 2 million enthusiasts, causing long traffic jams in the central part of the Capital. But people, braving chilly winds with temperatures dropping to nearly 11 deg C, did not mind standing in queues for hours to catch a glimpse of the shiny variants, some costing over Rs 40 lakh.

Attractive “imported” long-legged models, in skimpy dresses swaying to catchy beats in the stalls added to the glamour for the visitors, so much so that the police had to intervene to stop some of the sizzling shows by the girls, to stop stampedes. This led to protests from organizers who threatened to take the next Auto Expo outside the city, probably to the neighbouring Gurgaon in Haryana.

The success of the expo is a testimony to India’s emergence as a global manufacturing hub, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said at the valedictory function. “The expo has grown from strength to strength since 1986.

This year we received over two million footfalls,” Scindia pointed out. ”.India is becoming an attractive destination for its low-cost design innovation and design of scale and is becoming a hub for manufacture of small cars... The Indian automobile market is growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 30 per cent and last fiscal exports grew by 52 per cent,” he added. Hero Group’s Sunil Kant Munjal said 2,105 exhibitors had taken part at the biennial auto show.

- Asian Tribune -