Some 50 new vehicles will be launched at the 11th Auto Expo here next month by domestic and global manufacturers, which shows automakers remain bullish on the Indian market despite the slowdown.
Thirty-two of these vehicles will be passenger cars. “The largest number of unveilings will be in cars — 24 domestic and eight global,” Auto Expo 2012 steering committee chairman Rajive Kaul said on Wednesday. There will be nine new two-wheeler launches, six in commercial vehicles and three in other segments.
“Looking at the global slowdown, every auto manufacturer in the world is looking at India as the potential demand country. (A large) population on the one hand ... (with the) number of cars per thousand (of population) being so low. People are looking at India as the major opportunity market; therefore more of them are going to come. In that context, the Auto Expo is very critical,” said the president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, Mr S. Sandhiliya.
“The slowdown in foreign countries is because the demand is low. In India, due to rising incomes, buying capacity is increasing,” Mr Sandhiliya said.
Around 1,500 participants from 24 countries will be athe expo: companies from Germany, Britain, China, Canada, France, Italy and Japan have confirmed their participation.
To manage crowds better, the organisers have limited the number of visitors to 100,000 per day. The number of visitors will therefore be less than the 1.2 million recorded last year. Some potential exhibitors were also not given permission to participate this year, so that the available space can be better managed.
“We have to make it more convenient for those coming to see the show, and make it less chaotic,” said Mr Kaul.