Auto Expo 2018 – Part One
The 14th edition of Auto Expo (2018) provided a glimpse of the future of mobility.
The 14th edition of Auto Expo (2018) provided a glimpse of the future of mobility.
The 14th edition of Auto Expo 2018 was a success. Providing a glimpse of the future of mobility, the biennial motor show, organised by Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), witnessed the participation of 1319 (119 at the motor show) companies. The motor show, held from February 09 to February 14, 2018, at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, reflected on the change in industry sentiments. Conveying a positive sentiment, the premier fair turned out to be a platform for 500 product displays. Over 22 launches, and 81 product unveilings
took place. About 18 concepts were unveiled. The 14 new launches the show witnessed, pointed at an increasing focus towards green technology. There were 25 electric vehicles at the show. Providing an effective platform for 11 startups, the auto fair saw CV OEMs present new trucks, buses, vans, three-wheelers and more. Reflecting on the changes the CV industry is witnessing in-line with the regulatory influences and market forces, the CVs displayed at the Auto Expo 2018 made a strong business case, and effective commercial viability.
Not limiting themselves to address the current expectations, the CVs showcased, dared to provide a glimpse of the future.
The CVs highlighted the ability of their OEMs; their capability and technological prowess. The CVs highlighted the effort of the OEMs to engineer platforms that look far beyond fossil fuels. CVs that are electric in nature. CVs that point at the future of shared mobility, last mile transport and more. With electric buses making a prominant display at this motor show, the CV industry proved that it is at the forefront of industry transformation. With commercial vehicle population in India pegged at 7.5 lakh units, the commercial vehicles displayed underlined the ambition of the industry to be second to none. With exports from the country expected to grow by five to six per cent in FY2018-19, it would be unfair if the CV industry did not hint at its intention as well as the ability to go global. The prominent CV makers at the fair were Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, JBM, Lohia Auto, SML Isuzu and others. CV application builders and key aggregate suppliers were the MG Group, Pinnacle, Cummins, Greaves Cotton and others.
Other than the OEM booths, and key aggregate suppliers, the expo this year had special zones to offer an unconventional perspective, and draw a younger audience. Eliciting the visit of 750 government school children, the fair held a session on the future of mobility. With a spotlight on ‘70 years of Indian Automobility’, an IndoGerman joint working group meeting at the fair delved upon the development of industrial synergies between the auto industries of both countries. In the ‘Auto Trade Dialogue’, global industry experts from China, Japan, Germany, Italy, UK and Canada deliberated upon the need to collaborate for the development of driverless, connected and autonomous zero emission vehicles. A job fair by the Automotive Skills Development Council in association with SIAM is known to have offered a total of 136 jobs in the field of automation and auto ancillaries. A delegation of State Road Transport Undertakings (STUs) also visited the fair. The 12th SIAM Styling & Design Conclave 2018 got experts to share insights on emerging styling and design facets of automobiles. The conclave also had participants talk about sustainability.
Described as yet another milestone by Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM, the Auto Expo 2018 brought together the stakeholders of the Indian auto industry under one roof. Providing the right platform to the auto industry to showcase its journey with competitive and worldclass products, technology and futuristic concepts, the expo was visited by over six lakh people. Held over six days, the fair, inaugurated by Anant G. Geete, Minister, Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India, was a success. Turning out to be a platform for the felicitation of the auto industry for supporting the government in its endeavour to build sustainable mobility, the fair, the union minister during his speech expressed, has become a place that brings together the entire automotive fraternity. Hinting at OEMs investing ever more in technology and smarter ways of working, the Auto Expo 2018, in part also underlined the government’s ambition to encourage cleaner and less polluting mobility mediums. It was not lost on the industry stakeholders however if it would be only electricity or other equally efficient mediums of energy. Zero tailpipe emissions afterall is not the only objective!