1,500 exhibitors from 20 nations to showcase latest technologies
The 13th Auto Expo will be held during February 5 – February 9, 2016, at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida. Organized jointly by the Society of Indian Automobile manufacturers (SIAM), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Automobile Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the Expo promises to be an even bigger show with improved facilities in comparison to those at the 2014 edition. The gross indoor exhibition space has been increased by 4,000 sq.m. in the previous edition to 73,000 sq.m., which includes six large halls along with an additional space of 37,240 sq.m.
“Auto Expo has conventionally been one of the most sought after platforms for the automobile industry. We believe that Auto Expo gives the much-needed thrust to the industry in totality and ensures that the participating brands get noticed at a global level,” said Mr. Vinod Dasari, SIAM President. “We applaud the efforts that have gone into making this edition of the Auto Expo bigger, better and more exciting. The team has put in cohesive efforts to ensure that the run to the expo is smooth and every minute detail is taken care of. The focus this time around would be on electric and hybrid vehicles with the theme on ‘Mobility for All’.
Nearly 700,000 visitors are expected to attend the five-day event which will witness unveiling of 80 new vehicles spanning across two-wheeler, three-wheeler and four-wheeler segments. It is to be mentioned that the 2016 edition will be bigger than ever with an estimated 85 exhibitors taking part in the Motor Show. Coinciding with that, ACMA will host the Components Show at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi during February 4-7, in which around 1,500 exhibitors (900 domestic + 600 international) are expected to participate.
The four-day biennial event is being held at a time when the industry is clocking sales growth of eight per cent to nine per cent in passenger vehicles. There is high growth in medium and heavy commercial vehicles as well.
It may be recalled that the last edition of the motor show, which saw 70 new launches by 55 exhibitors, had 560,000 visitors, and there were eight halls in the previous edition adding up to 27,648 sq.m.
Mr. Arvind Balaji, ACMA President, observed: “In line with ACMA’s theme for this year – Make Quality & Technology in India – a unique Innovation Pavilion will be set up at the Auto Expo 2016 – Components which will have on display of auto components designed, developed and validated in India.”
This is the second time that Auto Expo is being held at Greater Noida, with its original venue, Pragati Maidan, proving to be inadequate to host the show which has grown over the years.
Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, CII Director General, elaborated: “Auto Expo has seen a tenfold growth from 152 exhibitors to 1,580 exhibitors in 2016, which is phenomenal over a period of 30 years. The show has been growing from strength to strength.” However, he also maintained that the Confederation is in talks with the Government to establish at least one world-class exhibition centre in country which will be in tune with the global standards and will be on par with the 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,” he shared.
Mr. Deep Kapuria, Chairman Trade Fair Council, CII, stressed R&D and Innovation as a growth driver for the automotive sector. Auto Expo would pave way for a more collaborative approach among the various elements of the value chain – component manufacturers, OEMs, machine tool suppliers and the raw material industry. “If we have to grow from being locally competitive to be globally competitive, our relationship must graduate from being transactional to a symbiotic one.”