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. 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.
Mr. Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM, expressing his delight on the success of the show 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. 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. 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 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, Shri Anant Geete along with Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Shri 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. DND was made free for three hours in the morning and again in the evening everyday of The Motor Show to ensure smooth traffic movement while the Delhi and Noida Metro cooperated strongly by giving six Metro stations as the venue for sale of tickets. They also allowed the organizers to run 90 DTC buses daily from Botanical Garden Metro station to the Expo Mart. Each bus made 3 – 4 trips daily. Apart from these, there were 20 red DTC buses plying in the periphery connecting the venue to the parking areas created for The Motor Show. The mobile app launched 3 days prior to the show was an instant hit with over 10,000 plus downloads over the 5 days of The Motor Show. Facebook and Twitter also saw The Auto Expo – The Motor Show 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.
