Curtains go up on hot wheels today

NEW DELHI: It's showtime folks. Come Thursday, Delhi will gear up for a feast of gleaming metal as the Auto Expo kicks off against the backdrop of one of the worst slowdowns to hit the industry in recent times. With more than 50 new launches from the big names in the business from Maruti Suzuki, Ford and Renault to Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, the focus this time round is on creating a buzz to lift the mood.Rising interest rates and the economic slowdown has hurt demand and sales growth has slowed to 3-4% from the heady 30% clip in posted in 2010-11.
The Auto Expo, which is held every alternate year, is India's equivalent of the Detroit, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Geneva motor shows. The Delhi Auto show has been growing in both size and stature worldwide with the global demand for cars shifting from developed western markets to emerging economies in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, China, India) bloc. In a way the Delhi show has mimiced the transformation in the fortunes of the Shanghai auto show, which is now the hottest destination for global carmakers thanks to China's dizzying growth. India's 26% and 30% growth in the last two years has catapulted Delhi into a 'must-present' destination as car companies jostle for a piece of the fastest growing market in the world after China.
Not surprisingly, the biggest names in the business are no stangers to the rough and tumble of the Delhi show. This year, Ford Motor's Chief Executive Alan Mullaly is already in town and so are six board members from Europe's biggest car company Volkswagen. This includes Skoda Auto's Global chairman Winfried Vahland and VW Board member Ulrich Hackenberg. “India is one of the key markets for the Volkswagen group and we will further increase our investments and product portfolio here to get a bigger share,” Hackenberg said.
Although a big-bang product like the Tata Nano is missing from the line-up this time round, the Expo will not be short of segment-busting debutantes as car makers too to position products in new niches for some incremental volumes. The niche list includes the all-new multi-purpose vehicle Ertiga from Maruti Suzuki, the Q3 compact luxury SUV from Audi, mini SUVs from Ford and Renault and the inconic Mini Cooper from BMW.
The Ertiga is Maruti's entry into the multi-purpose vehicle space and is based on the rIII concept that made its debut at the 2010 Expo. The car, expected to be priced in the Rs 7-8 lakh bracket, is being seen as 'the big launch' this year as Maruti is known for its strength and understanding of the Indian car market in the sub-Rs 10 lakh segment. The Ertiga, a rival to models like the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo, will sport a 1.3-liter diesel engine (used in the SX4) and an all-new 1.4-liter petrol engine.
Maruti is hoping to create a new segment with the product and expects to not only generate fresh demand but also poach sedan customers, Shashank Srivastava, Chief GM (Marketing & Sales), said.
The Audi Q3 is another segment-breaker in the luxury vehicle market. The new vehicle from the German car company (likely to debut in India by the middle of this year) will be a rival to BMW's mini SUV, the X1, and is expected to be priced in the Rs 22 lakh range. With the Q3, Audi is expected to move up to the second position in the luxury market, ahead of Mercedes Benz and behind BMW. “It will be a game-changer product for us and we are confident that the Q3 will help us gain an edge in the luxury space,” Audi India head Michael Perschke said.
A slew of sub-Rs 10 lakh SUVs will also debut at the expo including the Eco Sport from Ford and Duster from Renault. These new products -- high on technology and contemporary in design -- are expected to create a new sub Rs 10 lakh compact SUV segment taking the competition to homegrown Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Safari.
On its part, Mahindra will also be testing new ground as it unveils the Rexton and Korando SUVs from Ssangyong, the Korean company it acquired last year. From the Tata stable, the Merlin is an eagerly-awaited vehicle and will offer refinement over the Safari.
Also debuting this time at the expo will be French auto brand Peugeot and British motorcycle maker Triumph.
Apart from these, there will be upgrades to some of the existing models including the Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva and Force Motors' Force One.