The Auto Expo is among India’s largest Auto shows since its inception in 1986. Jointly organised by the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the biannual event provides Indian automotive manufacturers with the opportunity of showcasing their products and technologies.
Till 2012, the expo was held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. In 2014, it shifted to Greater Noida, at the India Expo Mart venue and it’s been held there ever since. The coming year will see the fifteenth edition of the Auto show and like every expo, would host concept and product launches, curate rich experiences through stalls and food-trucks, celebrity sightings, technology-reveals, promotional events, and fun activities for the visitors.
The upcoming expo is also expected to play a pivotal role in balancing out the otherwise unfavourable odds that the industry has seen in the last year. Comments and shares from the industry’s whos-who have allowed a sneak peek into what’s coming in the 2020 Auto Expo.
It is quite apparent that the year 2020 will be mostly about electric vehicles, autonomous technology, concept reveals and the general worldwide shift to sustainable mobility. However, several automotive manufacturers will be showcasing fresh offerings and upgrades to existing ones as well. Of the new vehicle launches, several would include BSVI compliant versions of previous models with minor facelifts and added features.
Companies like Maruti Suzuki will present the BSVI Petrol-powered Vitara Brezza, the Dzire and a new concept SUV which will either be based on collaborative design with Toyota or a rebadged version of an existing offering.
Hyundai Motor India is expected to bring along a completely redesigned version of their flagship SUV Creta, the brand-new small-sedan Aura, the Kona Electric, a facelifted version of the Elantra, the New fourth-gen Verna and existing models like the Venue and the Grand i10 Nios.
Hyundai’s Korean cousin Kia motors would be making its first-ever appearance at the Auto Expo in 2020. It is expected to bring along the popular SUV Seltos; a new upcoming MPV called the Carnival and a compact SUV in the sub-four-metre range. Kia is also likely to bring along a fully electric model though its genre is unclear at the moment. It could be an MPV or a mid-sized SUV to compete with the likes of MG ZS EV or possibly the Hyundai Kona.
MG Motors would also be making its debut at the Indian Auto show presenting, of course, the much-awaited ZS Electric SUV, six and seven-seater versions of the Hector SUV and the Maxus D90 and Baojun RS-3.
From Germany, Volkswagen is gearing up to bring in their start-of-the-year ID-3 electric vehicle, a mid-sized SUV to rival the likes of the Seltos, the next-generation Polo, and their flagship model T-Roc.
Its extended family from the Czech Republic, Skoda Auto has also confirmed their presence at the upcoming Auto Expo and are ready with quite a full line-up. Starting with the BSVI compliant, 1.0-litre TSI petrol-driven Skoda Rapid C-segment sedan will be showcasing its mid-sized SUV Karoq to challenge Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos and their likes. They are also expected to bring along the Octavia RS 245, the new Superb, Kodiaq, and a concept version of their Kamiq SUV.
Indian auto-giant Tata motors will be presenting quite a range starting with the electric versions of their existing models like the Tiago, the Tigor and the Nexon compact SUV. New variants would include the facelifted Nexon with internal combustion powertrain, an automatic version of the Harrier SUV, the seven-seater Gravitas and their premium hatchback Altroz.
Mahindra is likely to bring the electric variant of the XUV300, the much-awaited 2020 Scorpio, the new generation XUV500, the new 2020 Thar, and BSVI compliant versions of their existing models.
French automaker Renault would be bringing along their HBC SUV to rival the Hyundai Venue, XUV300, Tata Nexon and the Ford Ecosport.
In addition to that, they are likely to introduce a brand-new compact sedan to rival Suzuki’s Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and Tata Indigo and Tigor. They may also bring along the facelifted Kwid, a new breed of Duster, and the Triber SUV that borders on MPV territory.
Among luxury car makers, Mercedes Benz is the only company that is putting up a display this year while those like Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus and Volvo are less likely to. The three-pointed-star will shine upon its entire EQ all-electric range, including the EQC SUV, the Vision EQS concept sedan, and some fossil-fuel powered models like the seven-seater GL-B, the 2020 GLS SUV, and the GLE SUV.
A lot of manufacturers will be skipping the expo this year because of the enforced BSVI transition, the ongoing sales slowdown, and some due to the lack of any fresh offerings for the evolving market.
Related Links:
New SUVs Scheduled to be Launched at the 2020 Auto Expo – Part 1
New SUVs Scheduled to be Launched at the 2020 Auto Expo – Part 2
