Out of top 15 Auto companies in India, 7 are going to skip the 2018 Auto Expo.
The Mecca of auto enthusiasts in India is the Auto Expo (Delhi Motor Show) that takes place in the capital of India once every two years. The 2018 Auto Expo is supposed to take place early next month starting on 9th Feb and wrapping up by 14th. Amongst our worst fears lies auto companies skipping the Expo altogether. The “trend” of skipping the Auto Expo was initiated by our homegrown automakers like Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield. Is there a clash going on between the manufacturers and SIAM? Are the manufacturers at fault for not making their fair contribution? Let’s take a look at the contributing factors for the ultimate demise of the most popular Auto event in the nation.
Cars at Auto Expo 2018 | Bikes at Auto Expo 2018
Firstly, Greater Noida is quite literally the worst place to hold an international event. The sheer lack of public transport and hotels in close proximity to the exhibition are something one has to deal with each time they attend the show. The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport near Gurugram and the journey from the Airport to the Expo take anywhere between 1-2 hours, even more, if you are stuck in rush hour traffic. Until 2012, the Auto Expo used to take place at Pragati Maidan in Delhi which was a more suitable place for the Expo but the crowd control there was pathetic.
Even at Greater Noida, in 2014 and in 2016, on the press day with selective journalists being issued the entry passes, we saw a lot of non-journalists roaming around cluelessly, thereby overcrowding the venue for no reason. The crowd control has improved much more over time as mild stampedes were a common sight in almost every stall until 2012, but still has an immense scope for improvement. The parking area itself is quite far from the venue and is located in a very secluded and dusty ground. The only saving grace is the free shuttle service that is available to transport visitors from the parking to the venue.
2018 Auto Expo – What Went Wrong?
Companies have sighted low return on investment as the main reason to skip the Expo. As per the data available on the official website, 7 car manufacturers, 2 major two-wheeler manufacturers and 3 truck manufacturers will not be participating in the upcoming Auto Expo. On several occasions, experts have claimed that low return on investment, expensive participation costs, lack of infrastructure and the profile of visitors attending the expo at Greater Noida are some of the very reasons to push companies away from the event. The cost of participation averages at INR 30 to 50 crores depending on the space bought for display. Hence, companies prefer hosting events independently, which not only works out to be considerably cheaper, they can easily be designed to cater to the brand’s audience.
Since many companies participate in the Expo, their news gets diluted within minutes as new stories are updated. With 100s of new products launched in a span of a couple of hours, no particular product stays in the limelight. If a brand launches their product individually, with no other brand launching their product simultaneously, their product gets full coverage with maximum concentration. To top it all, the indivudual events would require only a fraction of the cost paid to participate in the expo.
2018 Auto Expo – List Of Companies Not Participating
| > Bajaj Auto |
| > Royal Enfield |
| > Harley Davidson |
| > Fiat |
| > Jeep |
| > Nissan |
| > Volvo |
| > Ford |
| > Nissan |
| > Triumph |
| > Volkswagen |
| > Audi |
| > Skoda |
| > Chevrolet |
| > General Motors |
| > Man Trucks |
| > Scania |
Industry veterans and officials of Society of Indian Auto Manufacturers (SIAM) Mahindra & Mahindra’s MD, Dr Pawan Goenka & Mr Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar, both expressed their disappointment pertaining to the lack of participation from some of the major brands this year. They believe that auto companies should ideally not miss out on the opportunity to participate in what’s claimed to be the Asia’s largest Auto Expo.
2018 Auto Expo Dates
| Day and Date | Business Hours | General Public Hours |
| Friday, 9 February, 2018 | 1000 Hrs – 1300 Hrs | 1300 Hrs – 1800 Hrs |
| Saturday, 10 February, 2018 | — | 1000 Hrs – 1900 Hrs |
| Sunday, 11 February, 2018 | — | 1000 Hrs – 1900 Hrs |
| Monday, 12 February 2018 | 1000 Hrs – 1300 Hrs | 1300 Hrs – 1800 Hrs |
| Tuesday, 13 February, 2018 | 1000 Hrs – 1300 Hrs | 1300 Hrs – 1700 Hrs |
| Wednesday, 14 February, 2018 | 1000 Hrs – 1300 Hrs | 1300 Hrs – 1700 Hrs |
The next Delhi Motor Show will be held from 9th February to 14th February 2018
Stay tuned for mroe info regarding upcoming 2018 Auto Expo.
Source – Rushlane
