Auto Expo Returns After 3 Years, Top Companies Skip: Here's Why

After being affected by the pandemic for 3 years, India's premier auto show, the 2023 Auto Expo, is back this week, albeit some of the country's top automakers are skipping the event. At the exhibition in Greater Noida, which will see 5 global premieres and 75 product releases and unveilings, major manufacturers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Kia India, Toyota Kirloskar, and MG Motor India, will take the lead.

The biennial exhibition, which was originally planned to take place in 2022 but was moved to this year owing to Covid-19, will, however, be noticeably bereft of other manufacturers like Mahindra & Mahindra, Skoda, Volkswagen, Nissan, and luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.

• Major Brands Skipping Auto Expo 2023

The key two-wheeler manufacturers' visibility will also be limited to their demonstrations of flex-fuel prototype vehicles at the Ethanol Pavilion. These manufacturers include Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, and TVS Motor Co.

Expectations from Auto Expo 2023

Nevertheless, this year's Auto Expo will witness a significantly higher involvement of emerging startup firms, especially in the electric vehicle market. Press days are scheduled for January 11–12, followed by general public days from January 13–18, 2023. According to a representative of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), "There is a larger number of overall industry participants compared to the earlier edition in 2020, with around 80 industry stakeholders participating at the Motor Show, including 46 vehicle manufacturers."

According to an official, in line with the electrification trend in the industry, there will be significantly greater participation from more recent startup players who manufacture vehicles. However, the majority of these players only produce electric vehicles, which can range from two- and three-wheelers to passenger and commercial electric vehicles.

While SIAM made no comments on why some of the major manufacturers chose to skip the event, however, those who did, emphasised the importance of the show. "I think we have been participating for many years. Now, when we see the relevance of luxury brands like ours, we see that a bit less from the kind of consumers who come in there or prospects. So that's a reason we decided not to participate this time and look into other means to engage with customers," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director & CEO Santosh Iyer told PTI.

He further said, "So, for us, we want to invest more in customer experiences and not on the motor show platform which is more generic in nature."

Similar to this, Petr Olc, brand director for SKODA AUTO India, said the firm made a choice to skip the show in order to concentrate on its own schedule for product releases in India.

Issues raised in earlier sessions

Some automakers had previously complained about the venue's location and the prohibitive cost of participation.

Ashok Leyland, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, JBM Auto, SML Isuzu, Cummins, Benelli, Keeway, and Sun Mobility are more manufacturers taking part in the exhibition.

BYD India, Vayve Mobility, and Pravaig Dynamics will be featured in the pure EV market for passenger vehicles, while Greaves Cotton, Tork Motors, Wardwizard Innovations, Motovolt Mobility, and LML will be showcasing their products for electric two- and three-wheelers.

The ethanol powertrains for automobiles will be a particular emphasis of this year's auto expo, with a separate pavilion highlighting technological advancements in the whole ethanol value chain.

Some automakers will also showcase their functional flex-fuel prototypes, including TVS, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, Honda Motorcycle, Yamaha, and Suzuki motorcycles for two-wheelers, and Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar Motor for cars. The SIAM official added that these vehicles could handle a variety of ethanol mixes ranging from 20 - 85%.

The SIAM official added that manufacturers would present new developments on a variety of powertrain options, including biofuels like ethanol, gaseous fuels like CNG and LNG, electrification technologies, including EV and hybrid vehicles, and hydrogen at their respective pavilions as clean technology becomes the focus.

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