AUTO EXPO 2020
Number of launches falls; luxury and supercar brands give the largest auto show of the country a miss
At the 15th edition of the Autoexpo that kick-started on Wednesday, the mood was sombre and the decibel levels of new launches muted, compared to the previous editions. They reflected the prolonged slowdown that has gripped India’s automobile market for the past one and a half years.
The absence of various manufacturers from the show was compensated by the Chinese automakers, including MG Motor, Great Wall Motors, and FAW Group Corporation — they unveiled their future line-up for the Indian Smarket.
A banner outside the venue at Greater Noida’s Global Expo Mart proudly proclaimed India as the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world.
However, none of the country’s major two-wheeler producers participated in what is Asia’s biggest automobile exhibition.
Such contradictions hung heavy on the auto show as the pall of a prolonged slowdown and fear of a viral outbreak loomed large on the world’s secondlargest auto show.
“Start of the decade has been muted due to high transition cost and low demand. However, I am convinced this decade will take us to new heights,” Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and chief executive officer of India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, summed up the mood. Maruti had the day’s first unveiling.
The number of participating automakers has fallen from 50 in 2018 to 30 this year. The count of exhibitors, including technology companies, has come down from 119 to 112. Showstopper luxury and supercar brands, including Toyota, Jeep, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volvo, were missing.
Commercial vehicle makers also gave the show a miss — a prolonged economic slowdown has dented their fortunes and dimmed chances of any recovery.
Globally, auto shows are losing sheen as high cost of participation deters automakers from big participation; they instead have their own periodic launches. However, Ayukawa of Maruti said that a country like India, where car ownership is still low, such shows help revive the market.
The theme for this year’s show was electric mobility as most launches were geared towards that, led by Chinese auto majors.
After the successful debut by China-owned British automaker MG Motor’s Hector sport utility vehicle (SUV), China’s largest SUV and pick-up maker Great Wall Motors showcased its Haval crossover. Its compatriots First Automobile Works or Haima, Changan, and BYD will also display their line-ups.
Even as the displays by Chinese companies took centre stage, home-grown automakers Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) turned up the decibel levels by showcasing a raft of new models, primarily their electric vehicle (EV) portfolio. Tata Motors showcased the Sierra EV Concept, while M&M launched the EKUV100.
“At this Auto Expo, we are showing products which showcase our responsibility and emphasis on sustainability and cleanliness,” said Group Chairman N
Chandrasekaran, adding four more EVS will be launched in two years.
“The displays by the new players Kia, MG, and Great Wall were quite striking,” said Jnaneswar Sen, partner at consulting firm, Maven Partners.
The real test will be after the show opens to the general public. According to Sen, people in India still aspire to own a car, and a show like this adds to the excitement.
Notwithstanding India’s sluggishness to push battery-powered transport and dearth of infrastructure like charging stations, the EV rush is still charged up. The government, however, is looking to boost adoption by taxing EVS at a lower rate. It also launched the second phase of a scheme to increase the share of EVS in shared mobility to curb pollution in a nation that has cities with the world’s dirtiest air.