Saurabh Gupta | 10 Feb, 2016
Auto Expo - The Motor Show 2016, the biennial show of the
Indian automotive industry, came to a successful close on the 5th public day of
the Motor Show at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
"With over 108 new products being launched and unveiled and over 6,01,914
footfalls received over the last one week, we believe this Expo will strengthen
the belief of our manufacturers in the Indian automotive industry," said Vishnu
Mathur, Director General, SIAM.
Expressing his delight on the success of the show, he said, "We believe
the Auto Expo has successfully evolved from being just another exhibition of
vehicles to a showcase of Indian manufacturing strength and technological
capabilities."
"We would like to thank all those who visited the Motor Show as well as
all our exhibitors, partners and the media. They are the ones who have made
this show a success and helped us reach the desired level of excellence."
The exposition, jointly organized by - Automotive Component Manufacturers
Association (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of
Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), was held from February 5-9, 2016.
The Auto Expo - The Motor Show 2016, had 65 manufacturers exhibiting products
from across the globe.
The first two days, exclusively for media, saw new investments, launches,
concepts unveiled by global CEOs signifying further consolidation of the
industry in 2016. The event saw participation from the glamour world too.
Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir
Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Aaliya Bhatt, Taapsee Pannu. The
cricketing fraternity too had a fair share of representation in the form of
Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Piyush Chawla and former cricket
legend Mohinder Amarnath. Manchester United legend Louis Saha also was a part
of the event. Also officials from
Central and State government, Embassies, foreign dignitaries and delegations
visited The Motor Show.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Anant Geete along
with Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkar officially
inaugurated the Auto Expo - The Motor Show 2016 on February 4 and then
announced the show open.
The inauguration took place in the presence of office bearers from
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Automotive Components Manufacturers’
Association (ACMA) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). For
the first time in the history of the Auto Expo, a cultural performance by the
famous Devendra Shelar enthralled the audience.
While the vehicles exhibited remained most sought after entities at the event,
street plays, puppet shows and laser shows showcasing the importance of
road-safety came in as a breath of fresh air for the visitors at large. Stunt
shows and superbike riders also added an element of panache to the show.
The vintage car segment was a huge draw and had all auto enthusiasts thronging
the Hall. The section on automobilia and the Bollywood zone had become a must
see area for the auto enthusiasts. The graffiti competition highlighting the
fight against counterfeit parts, launch of Asliman, the anti counterfeit mascot
were added attractions.
Coinciding with the Auto Expo, The Auto Trade Dialogue facilitated better
understanding and appreciation of the needs of the automotive industries in
individual countries and regions. The international dinner in the evening saw
participation of world leaders from Japan, Korea, UK, US, Germany apart from
Indian CEOs.
Also, on the side lines of the Auto Expo - The Motor Show 2016, the 10th
Styling and Design Conclave took place alongwith the automotive design
challenge. The conclave discussed the future of design and styling in the automotive
industry with stress on the Indian automotive industry. The first prize was
bagged by a student from MIT, Pune while the second prize went to DSK Rubika
followed by NID, Ahmedabad.
As an added attraction, the organizers had a lottery everyday wherein 14
(fourteen) two-wheelers were given away by Hero MotoCorp, TVS Motors and Suzuki
Motor Cycles to the lucky winner over the 5 public days. NDTV organized The CNB
Awards function and Zee TV organized the Zeegnition Awards at the venue.
Facebook and Twitter also saw The Auto Expo trending on all days of The Motor
Show with Facebook having more than 150000 like and Twitter having more than
10,000 followers. The official Auto Expo website had more than one crore
visitors over the seven days of The Motor Show.
The impressive consumer response at the Auto Expo indicates the rapid progress
that the auto industry is making indicating the good times ahead for the auto
manufacturers. The show successfully concluded on February 9th, setting the
tone for the next financial year for the auto industry.