THE DELHI AUTO EXPO 2020:

 

Auto Shows and Expos happens all around the world, From the most elegant Frankfurt motor show, where the German auto makers showcases their future products for the world with pride to latest Indonesian Auto Expo, almost all the major automobile market does have a universal meet and greet opportunity for automobile manufactures.

I know most of you have known about the prestigious Delhi auto expo. But did you know it is the biggest autoexpo all around Asia? Well It is. With one of the largest market for automobiles in Asia there is no wonder Indian Auto expo being so looked upto by the MNCs.

Conducted every alternate years, 2018 was the last Auto Expo conducted in the National Capital of India. It was one of my bucket list goals to take part in any f the Auto Expo conducted in Delhi.

Dreams do come true.... Well in 2020 I got my chance to visit auto expo not as a public enthusiast but as part of a media team on the enterprise day with team of upcoming motoring show "CAR GIRLS INDIA". 

The year 2020 had one of the worst starts for a year. From forest firs in Australia to Corona virus outbreak. The situation all around the world were not most pleasing.

Some of this did affect the Delhi Auto Expo 2020. With fears of Corona outbreak and the slowdown of automotive sector in India lead many manufactures to back out of the most distinguished event.

Brands like BMW, AUDI, PORSCHE, HONDA, TOYOTA etc from 4 wheelers and all except SUZUKI, PIAGGIO GROUP and OKINAVA did not share the space with other fellow manufactures.

This was really not a pleasant thing to hear. Some of the most followed brands not attending the expo was like your father not attending his birthday party. But on the bright side there were quite good announcements concepts and launches showcased throughout the show.

I don't know what others felt, But for me the stars of the expo were the India's own personal pride TATA motors. With one of the largest pavilions of the entire show, they had huge expectation in my books and they outperformed every bit of my expectation. From facelifts to new concepts they had ex=verything you expects from a brand in such platform.

What caught my eyes first was the new updated harrier which comes with most awaited lists of features including a panoramic sun roof, more powerful engine, and above all a new automatic transmission.

The harrier is now even better with updates

They also launched the new Altroz and Altroz Ev which came in as a surprise, the facelifted Nexon along with Nexon EV, Tiago and the Tigor with their all new smart connectivity feature looked promising for markets it looks forward to capture. Another huge catch was the Gravers or the 7seater version of harrier. The HBX concept was showcased in its 90%completed form and boy it looks sick. The design team of Tata sure needs a raise.

Tata also showcased their legend the SIERRA in a new electric avatar and was stunning emotional one to see.

The legend REBORN. Tata motors granting wishes of auto enthusiasts

What made Tata special was not that it had the biggest platform or showcased most number of Vehicles. But they showed us how Indian auto makers might look in the future. With almost every one switching to electric power, Tata already perfected EV technology and have made 2 incredible cars with huge promises ready for the masses. They also started the trend of choosing passenger safety as a main criteria for vehicles sold. If everything goes well, Tata could be the next big name in automotive sector you gonna hear by the end of the decade. 

All the best Tata Motors You made us Indians very proud.

Then we moved to the Germans. you might ask, "without BMW Audi or Porsche, then who?" Well you got Mercedes Benz to start with. While they launched the new Class marcopolo camper van, My eyes was at the bright yellow A45 coupe which stood beside it. They showcased S63 coupe, The fastest 4 door sedan and all their major cars too.

The most beautiful Mercedes Benz A45 AMG coupe.

The fastest car in the Delhi Auto Expo was a 4 door...

Wait... Thats it??? Thats all by the Germans???

This question might be raised in your mind as you were reading... Right??

What do you expect?? Even though we know German cars were one of the best cars made for Indian market, it gets overlooked at every time by the general public. This lead to a not so awesome sales numbers for them.

But the Germans used to say and follow one quote Du hast erst verloren, wenn du aufhörst es zu versuchen" which means you only lose once you stop trying, and they are ready to try again to get the Indian market by storm.

Let me take you to one of the most exciting pavilions in the whole of Expo, The Volkswagen. The VW and Skoda had invested an huge sum of money for the years to come in India, 1 billion(8000 crore) to be exact. They just want their cars to be sold in India, Aiming to be the 3rd largest auto manufacturer in India and that's a bloody good sign. 

The sexiest show piece....Looks as if VW will have a future as bright as that red colour

What we see is VW dropping its pseudo premium manufacturer image to a colourful funky dynamic avatar. That they showcased 3 new production ready versions of their SUVs the Taigun, Tiguan all space and T-ROC. 

VW Taigun takes on the Kia Seltos and Mg hector.

Taigun and t-roc would be 2 different cars competing against mid-sized SUV in India.

VW also showed their all electric concept which was one of the most interesting cars in the whole show.

Stepping into Skoda pavilion you notice the most awaited Skoda Octavia RS245 the 245 hp sports sedan. I was super excited to see that but alas, Its limited to just 200 units across India.

The Skoda Octavia RS 245...245hrspurs but limited to just 200 unit...

The Skoda Vision concept

Another main attraction here was the Vision SUV concept for midsize SUV market which is under devolopment. I expected to see Kamiq and Karoq Suvs but I think Skoda has other plans for India.

The recent trends in world market is the sudden growth of Chinese automakers. With most of their cars offering pretty decent features and luxury with aggressive pricing, a common practical man sees them as a very good option to buy.

With launch of MG hector last year they proved that the same sales strategy would work in India just fine. So MG motors are now focusing on bringing more products to the largest peninsular country. The ZS, ZS EV,  X were some of future offering from MG.

The MG x-Power race car showed some old school MG

MG says they stands for innovation, well their pavilion says this otherwise. Being one of the most engaging pavilion, MG needs a whole day to be covered if you really want to explore. From a working demonstration of their EV technology to gaming zone to merchandise zones they nailed it in being different from other pavilions.

This success of MG hector also attracted GWM ie Great Wall Motors too. They being the largest Chinese manufacturers in the world, showcased their Haval brand in the Expo.

With 4 SUV named H5 H6 F7X F7X which to be frank looking very promising they seems to have a good future here too. I couldn't get more details of Haval because we couldn't find a proper source to discuss their plans for India.

Damn i suck at Photography, The Haval F7X

With the huge success of Seltos, Kia also tries to be expand in India with a lot of launches coming ahead, Kia Sonet among the most anticipated one. Kia ceed, Kia     etc looks ready to be launched. But still there are no signs of the mighty KIA Stinger for India.

Kia's upcoming Sonet mini SUV

Mahindra was another manufacturer which just like Tata focuses on future technology of Electric Mobility. They are ready to roll with E-Xuv 300 and E-kuv100. The concept Funster EV SUV also caught many eyes.

The Mahindra Funster EV

Its imposible to even think about an expo without Hyundai. The Korean company knows a thing or two about what the buyers want, But this time I have to admit I was not happy with their upcoming products. The beautiful Creta now finally agreed to facelift but now genuinely doesn't look to please me. Since looks can be deceiving I hope it has lot more than meets the eye. Then there was the 100hp grand i10 Nios which stepped up the game to VW polo.

What Maruti Suzuki showcased was a bunch of BS6 facelifted models with just petrol engines for their cars. They showcased their first EV concept named the Future E. But the show stopper being the so much praised little off-roader named the Jimny.

The Jimny could come to Indian shores soon...

What we got from the officials is that, Jimmy is already on R&D for Indian market and could be landing with a 5 door avatar.Now who's excited for that???

They auto expo was also a platform for some catchy show cars too.

The most incredible build was by Force motors where they brought in a Jcked up Gurkha which stands at least 2 ft of the ground.

2 ft of Ground clearance, Force motors standing tall

They updated their entire line of passenger carriers and engines. Speaking of engines, Did you know that force motors manufactures the engines for BMW and Mercedes Benz in India??

The Delhi Autoexpo 2020 was not the best auto expo when we look at the number of manufacturers attended or the number of vehicles showcased. It never wowed everyone with super bikes or supercars. But this auto show delivered the message of how fast the trends in automobile changes.

From a time where buyers being obsessed with fuel economy, Now certain brands pitched the idea of passenger safety into the brains of buyers. It showed how much the electric vehicle technology have grown from 80km per charge to 400km range per charge. How the companies had to adapt to change from their age old success philosophy. 

And above all how the market is going to evolve in the years to come.