Monday, October 5, 2026
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No center of attraction at this Auto Expo
It was a mad rush at the Tata Motors pavilion during the 2008 Auto Expo. Everyone wanted to feel the world’s cheapest car – Nano. Similar was the scenario at the 2010 Auto Expo as Toyota Etios and Honda Brio (coincidentally placed just opposite to each others’ pavilion) created a lot of buzz during the last edition of this much-awaited automobile exhibition in the country.
As compared to the past two editions, the upcoming Auto Expo is missing that center of attraction as there is no one such product that the consumer has been waiting for. There are close to 50 OEMs participating out of the total list of 1500 participants and close to 50 new products waiting for the consumer at at the event, but still there is no one point crowd-puller identified by the consumer so far. The excitement for the Auto Expo 2012 is indeed more than the levels of 2010 but there are many more exciting products rather than just one or two offerings that ruled the expo over the past few years.
While some enthusiasts are excited about Maruti’s upcoming SUV and British Motorcycle-maker Triumph’s India foray, some are waiting for Mini Cooper to hit the Indian roads and Ford’s EcoSport to make its presence felt at the event. In other words, as the Indian automobile market is touching new skies, the number of players present in the industry has also grown by many folds over the past one decade. Be it the two-wheeler segment, passenger cars or commercial vehicles, the competition is intense and only the practical yet aspirational products have been able to prove their mettle in the Indian market. For that matter, even the Nano (world’s cheapest car) has not been able to lure the price-sensitive Indian consumer so far as the aspirational quotient is totally missing.
As manufacturers gear up for this year’s expo, attracting the desired TG on its pavilion will also be one of the challenge. As one, the number of visitors will much less as compared to 2010 and 2008 and second, there are many exciting things offered to the consumer this year. In fact, there are many exciting stops for the Indian consumer this time at the Auto Expo but the challenge will be to make it to the event safely. Taking the Delhi Metro may just improve your chances!
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are that of the author and does not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The Sunday Indian)
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
