Auto Expo 2014 expected to revive auto industry: CII

The 12th edition of the Auto Expo, jointly organized by CII, SIAM and ACMA, accredited by OICA and due to begin in the first week of February is expected to revive the auto industry and give a fillip to the Indian economy.

According to a CII statement, as many as 70 new vehicles will be unveiled, with 26 global unveilings of which 15 are cars.

The event will be attended by 1100 exhibitors in the motor show and about 55 exhibitors in the components show will display a staggering array of vehicles and components in much larger space and there will be a special theme pavilion to promote hybrid and electric mobility.

Vikram Kirloskar, President, SIAM, said that the last year was a very tough year for the auto industry on the whole with factors such as the slowdown in the economy, rising fuel costs, less disposable income and poor sentiment negatively affecting sales.

However, he said, the industry was optimistic and had been working very hard to produce better products to boost sales.

Stressing on the importance of the sector, he said the auto industry is the locomotive of growth for the Indian economy.

Addressing the gathering, Deep Kapuria, Past President, ACMA, said the auto components industry is recognized as a leading quality-oriented industry and that over the years, the value-add in components has risen.

On display at the Show will be over 500 plus new technologies and over 5000 products.

Describing the components sector as a "sunrise" sector, he said the sector has tremendous potential.

Describing it as a 'unique and special show', Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General CII, said that this is the first time that the show has been split into two - components and motor show -as the growth in the magnitude of the Show warranted it.

While the Components Show will take place from 6-9 February in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, the Motor Show will take place from 7-11 February at Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR.

The expected footfalls in the Motor Show is about 1 lakh per day, and about 10,000 per day in the components show, which is primarily a B2B show.

The show, he elaborated, is an excellent opportunity for business visitors to grow their business.

Answering questions on whether going forward the show will be held in two venues, Mr.Kapuria, Mr. Kirloskar and Mr. Banerjee said the idea was to have a large show at one venue and that it was only space constraints that necessitated this move this time.