Auto Expo-The Motor Show 2018: A Journey from motors to mobility
Auto Expo-The Motor Show 2018 is being organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), jointly with Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Auto Expo, the biggest extravaganza and muchawaited event of the automotive industry in India, is scheduled for February 9-14, 2018 at the state of the art exhibition facility, the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, near Delhi. The inauguration is planned to be held on February 8, 2018.
Auto Expo is set to witness over 100 new launches, with several global product and concept showcases on `green mobility’ to reduce the pollution levels further.
Besides, this year’s Expo is coming up with several unique Digital India initiatives, wherein Auto Expo 2018 will feature a branded custom ‘Twitter Emoji’, which has been created for the first time for any motor show in the world. The exclusive Emoji will be available to all users across the globe using the Auto Expo hashtag in their tweets. The Expo has also initiated an integrated “Auto Expo 2018 Mobile App” with new features, for better communication between visitors, exhibitors and Auto Expo organisers.
The 2018 edition aims at creating an alluring experience for the visitors by resurrecting a new brand image which will not only focus on static display of motor vehicles, but will focus on ‘Entire Mobility EcoSystem’, enveloped by the theme of “Co-Create, Co-Exist and Celebrate”. This metamorphosis will rechristen the image of ‘Auto Expo – The Motor Show’ internationally, and will allow the discerning visitors to experience, comprehend and appreciate the kaleidoscopic journey of the automotive industry, especially over the last 20 years.
Arun Malhotra, Chairman, SIAM Trade Fair Group, said, “mobility’s future evolution is just beginning, and the current edition will be a platform to showcase the best in mobility and technology for the consumers. Over the years, the Auto Expo has emerged as a global platform for the manufacturers to showcase their best of product, technology and futuristic visions. We are confident that this edition will set new benchmarks globally for the Indian mobility system solutions. It will also witness much more of the entire Mobility Ecosystem, showcasing the future of mobility in India”.
Sugato Sen, Deputy Director General, SIAM, said “this edition is one of the biggest of this region and we have moved away from just the static displays of automobiles to a more dynamic showcase of total mobility solutions.”
About the absence of a few top brands Sen said,”In every edition of the Auto Expo, there will be some companies which do not have any new major product to showcase or some other difficulty which keeps them from participating in the event. This time 24 new launches, against
15 last year, are scheduled, mainly driven by passenger cars and two-wheelers.” Sen said that the Auto Expo in India sees the highest number of average footfalls per day (100,000) compared to any other motor show, globally, which goes for nearly 14 days as compared to 2 or three days in India.
Special Zones
Motor Show will have multiple zones for different activities with more focus on new technologies and innovations in the auto industry. They are:
Motorsports: History of the sport from 1947 in the form of a timeline, a unique display of certain landmark vehicles by motorsport bodies. Auto Gaming Arena: This zone caters to the world of gaming and aims to bring it alive at the Auto Expo by organizing the first All-India Auto Gaming Championship.
#Future Decoded (VR Zone): This provides the visitors a 360 degrees experience of driving an autonomous vehicle. This one of a kind experience will engage the young enthusiasts and will give a hint of what future automobile technology has to offer to them.
70 Years of Indian Automobility: A special zone on 70 years of the automobile industry in India, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of India’s Independence.
Exotica: This zone will see display of heritage cars and super cars and will be curated by their associations.
Application Vehicles: This zone will showcase how Automobile Industry is directly/ indirectly connected to daily life. Various applications of vehicles, such as Milk Van, Army Trucks, School Bus, Postal Vehicle, Fire Tender, Refrigerated Vans, etc will be displayed.
Participants
AETMS-2018 will witness participation of vehicle manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Mahindra & Mahindra, Honda Cars, SML Isuzu, Renault, Hyundai, Toyota Kirloskar, Hero MotoCorp, Ashok Leyland, TVS Motor, HMSI, Piaggio, BMW, BMW Motorrad, MINI, Honda Motorcycles and Scooter, India Yamaha, JBM Auto, Suzuki Motorcycles, and many more major players in the Indian & International market. Apart from the above vehicle brands, there will be some new entrants in this edition like Kia Motors, India Kawasaki and Cleveland Cyclewerks etc.
This year’s Motor Show will have participation of startups demonstrating new technologies. Over a dozen of them have booked space to showcase their technologies and solutions including electric, hybrid and others.