The curtain finally came down on the 10th Auto Expo held in New Delhi from January 5 to 11, 2010 with close to 72 vehicles being launched during the expo. Among these, there were more than 10 global launches comprising passenger vehicles and two-wheelers.
The show was organized by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Addressing the valedictory ceremony of the Auto Expo, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia observed “It is clear that the Auto Expo is indeed rapidly emerging as one of the key events of the global auto industry and this, as you and I know, is testimony to the emergence of India as an economic powerhouse in the global arena”, he stated.
Mr Scindia pointed out that while most of the key markets in the US and Europe are still struggling with negative growth, India and China are perhaps the only two auto markets that have shown sign of quick recovery from the slowdown. “Even today India has only seven car owners per thousand citizens. Compare that with China’s 27 cars per 1000 citizens and you’ll realise that the car market in India is still relatively virgin. Little surprise, global majors continue to show heightened interest in the Indian market,” he said.
The Minister said that the number of new models launched at the 2010 Auto Expo underlines the robust recovery of the Indian auto market and the growing stature in the world. “Low cost, design innovation and economies of scale are now becoming the hallmark of the Indian automobile industry. In fact, thanks to the Indian ingenuity in design and engineering, the nation is fast becoming a manufacturing hub for passenger cars, especially small cars,” Mr Scindia added.
Mr Scindia said the government aims to give full support to the automotive SME and particularly to technology upgradation. “The government has already been encouraging cluster based geographical development for enterprises having similar lines of business enabling technical, administrative and financial economies. Besides, to facilitate easy availability of funds, the government is also encouraging banks to adopt a cluster-based lending approach,” he said.
The Minister also noted that the emergence of the Indian auto components industry as a serious global player was equally impressive. “Today the components industry already earns more than $ 3 billion a year through exports. And it is just about reaching the takeoff stage. Besides, the global downturn has forced more international car makers to go back to their drawing boards and explore ways to cut costs without denting quality and the $ 19 billion Indian auto component industry has caught their fancy like never before. Major global majors have already marked India as their component hub thanks to the cost advantage and quality assurance,” he concluded.
On the culmination of the silver jubilee edition of the auto expo, several exhibitors were honoured with silver plaques for their various contributions to the show. The awards were given away by Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry.
Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors were recognised for their continuous support to the show since its inception in 1986. Tata Motors and Maruti Udyog Ltd., also recognised for having the largest display area for the 2010 show. The largest country pavilion award for the 2010 show went to VDA and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce for the German pavilion.
In the vehicle component category, companies that were presented the silver plaque for their continuous support included Fiem Industries, GNA Axles, Indication Instruments Ltd, Mutual Industries Ltd, Talbros Automotive Components Ltd, TVS and Uni Deritend Ltd. In the SME segment ACEY Engineering Pvt Ltd was honoured for its support. The award for the largest display in the components segment went to Motherson Sumi and TVS & Sons.
Earlier in his welcome address Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Past President, CII observed that the Silver Jubilee edition of the Auto Expo has set a new milestone in the Indian automotive industry. It has placed the sector on the global auto industry map. It will be the springboard for the future development of the industry as well as the manufacturing sector in India.
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