Hindustan Motors Ambassador to hit in newest avatar at the Auto Show Delhi

Hindustan Motors (HM), the makers of the iconic Indian car, Ambassador may be showcasing it in its newest form at the India Auto Expo to be held next year. The car that draws its lineage from Morris Oxford series II (Landmaster) and series III (Ambassador) is set to undergo one of the most daring changes ever.

As Motoism reported earlier the Hindustan Motors have called in styling experts from Europe to make the changes to the fading away brand, now used mostly by Taxis and the Government Babus. Hindustan Motors has also made it clear that they will continue to manufacture the present day version for the taxi segment side by side of the newer one.

The new version will be ready on paper atleast by the year-end  and post finalization in May, commercial production will commence in July 2012. Bearing in mind the timing of finalization to the car, the Auto Expo 2012 will be a really good platform to unveil the car, which according to HM will have a retro yet sporty design and will be engineered with cutting edge technology to provide the values that it has so long preached - comfort and value for money.

Although the platform on which the car is based and the dimensions will remain the same the exteriors of the car will be changed dramatically, as confirmed by the officials. Other changes will include BS-IV compliance and atleast four engine options to choose from.

Delhi Auto Expo

Auto Expo 2012 may have a second venue within the capital region because the entire space at Pragati Maidan has been sold and there is a long queue of prospective participants outside.

"We are contemplating a second location to accommodate the entire auto industry in an integrated manner," said Vishnu Mathur who heads the country's auto industry body. The Indian Auto Expo has become a priority destination for most automakers over the years when the country emerged the second fastest-growing car market and a global leader in truck and bus sales. But space is scarce.

The entire exhibition space at Pragati Maidan, which hosted all the 10 previous motor shows here, was sold in less than a week. And many multinationals are yet to ensure their participation in the world's largest motor show in attracting visitors. The venue has 55,000 square metre space, which is just about half of total demand, according to Mathur, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Industry.

The society jointly organises the show with industry body CII and auto component body ACMA. A person close to the organisers said Expo Mart at Noida could be the second venue that will accommodate component makers and ancillaries units. Space crunch had forced some big companies including Ford India to miss the previous auto show in 2010. There were several disruptions including cancellation of promotional events.

The problem will be worse next year if Pragati Maidan remains the only venue, because there are more participants and there may be more visitors than last year's two million. There will also be 35 vehicle launches, 10 more than last time.

Tata Motors Launches 3 New Models at Delhi Auto Expo

Tata Motors launched three new models today at the Delhi Auto Expo 2010. Its main highlight of the day was its brand new cross-over vehicle – Aria. It is a sports-utility and multi-utility crossover vehicle that was termed by the company as “four wheeler built by Indian engineers for the Indian customers”. Tata Motors did not give much detail about the new model or its commercial launch date in India. Used Cars Sale in India

Tata Motors currently offers Tata Sumo Grande and Tata Safari in its SUV product portfolio. The new 7-seater crossover passenger vehicle is a new product in its lineup of passenger vehicles for the Indian customers. Rata Tata, Chairman, Tata Motors stated the company as "an Indian company working with Indian people has managed to make Tata an international standard company." Hyundai Showrooms in India

Tata Motors also launched the new passenger carrier Magic Iris and another multi-purpose vehicle “Venture” for the Indian customers. It also unveiled its new Jaguar XJ model for its luxury car buyers in India. “The range of Tata, Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles is representative of our technology base, and the direction our brands are taking in pursuing market opportunities. The Company is focused on meeting the full range of customer needs while being conscious of the environment,” the Company stated.

Delhi Auto Expo 2010

The upcoming auto event is poised to be the second largest auto event in the world preceding the Shanghai Auto Show in China which has around 600,000 visitors annually. In 2009, nearly 30 Auto shows were held globally.used cars hyderabad The New York Auto Show had 1.2 million viewers.

The Shanghai Auto Show and New York Motors Show have their venues in the hearts of these two bustling cities which wins them far more footage. Such is not the case with the Delhi Auto Expo which is held at Pragati Maidan and does not enjoy this benefit. Moreover, the New York Auto Show is held for 10 days and Shanghai Auto Show is spread over 9 days while Delhi Auto Expo is held only for seven days.Maruti true value Even after these limitations the Delhi Auto Expo is expected to draw at least 1.8 million visitors in a span of less than seven days.

One of the main reasons for the Delhi Auto Expo to become one of the most successful ones is India’s fast growing market for two-wheelers and passenger vehicles. Currently the car ownership in India is only 7 cars per 1000 people as compared to 27 cars per 1000 people in China.electric bike Thus, there is enormous scope of development for the new vehicle market. The event is an ideal platform for global and domestic auto manufacturers to showcase their products.

Moreover, auto component manufacturers and accessories manufacturers also find it a suitable platform to promote their products and create brand awareness. For many of these global vehicle manufacturers, India is yet a virgin market and showcasing a concept model here proves very fruitful. Component manufacturers benefit greatly from events like these,” says Mohit Arora, senior director, Singapore based JD Power & Associates.

Auto Expo missing Manufactures

Ford Motors had unveiled its small car Figo last month announcing the launch of the car sometime next year. The car will go into production by second half of 2010 and will hit the roads by the end of the year. it is losely based on Fiesta platform keeping its price tag to the minimum. There are no confirmed reports but Ford might skip the Delhi Auto expo 2010.

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Similarly, Nissan is also expected to unveil its small car Micra but the same is not confirmed officially. Thus, Nissan India may be missing from the Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010. Nissan Micra is being developed on the new global V-platform specifically designed by Nissan for the emerging markets. The car will go into production in India by late 2010 and in Brazil only by 2011.

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Mitsubishi will be a conspicuous absentee from the Auto Expo and will enter the Indian market only with its Lancer Evo X later in the year. After years of moving slowly, the Japanese company will finally show its true colours in India by launching the Lancer Evolution X in India. The car is expected to make its foray in the Indian market either by April 2010 or September 2010.

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2010 Auto Expo Delhi

“The 2010 Auto Expo will be bigger, brighter and better than the previous shows. The growing number of visitors indicates the rising importance of India as a key automobile destination,” says Pawan Goenka, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) and President, Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Auto Expo is jointly organised by CII, Siam and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India.

“The New Delhi Auto Expo is held only for seven days, while the New York Auto Show is open for 10 days and the Shanghai Auto Show is spread over nine days. The New York Auto Expo attracts a large crowd because the show venue is located in the heart of New York City’s 34th and 39th Street intersections, which are busy locations. Besides, the show is also promoted as a significant tourist attraction, while Delhi Auto Expo’s Pragati Maidan does not enjoy this benefit,” says one industry executive.

There are three reasons for the big draw. For one, India is a fast-growing market for cars and two-wheelers. Compared with China’s 27 cars per 1,000 citizens, India has only seven car owners per 1,000 citizens. “Delhi’s Auto Expo event is the bellwether for the automobile industry. Both domestic and global companies can showcase products to the largest potential audience,” says Venu Srinivasan, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and CMD of TVS Motor.

Two, the 2010 edition holds immense significance for global vehicle manufacturers, since India and China were the fastest to recover from the financial crisis that swept the world last year. Car sales in the domestic market from April-November this year grew 21 per cent, while sales of medium and large trucks and buses in the same period dipped by barely 2.4 per cent. Much of the key markets in the US and Europe are still in the negative and yet to witness a recovery.

Three, global car and truck majors who skipped this year’s key events like the Tokyo Motor Show are lining up to showcase their products at the capital’s Auto Expo. “There could be multiple reasons as to why companies avoided participating in the global auto shows. One reason could be cost-cutting. For many of these global vehicle manufacturers, India is yet a virgin market and showcasing a concept model gives tremendous mileage. Component manufacturers benefit greatly from events like these,” says Mohit Arora, senior director, Singapore based JD Power & Associates.

Lookback on 2010 Auto expo

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.