Why Top Vehicle Brands in India Skipping Auto Expo 2023?

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, India's largest auto show, Auto-Expo 2023, is finally happening at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida. The event will be taking place from 13th to 18th January 2023. In addition, the auto component show will be held at Pragati Maidan, Delhi.

Popular Indian automobile manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, MG Motor India and Kia will be participating in Auto Expo 2023. However, some renowned auto manufacturers are planning to skip this mega event. The upcoming automotive event will showcase future concepts from well-known automakers in the passenger and two-wheeler categories.

One of the reasons why brands are apprehensive about participating in the expo is their product launch date is falling in later months like February and so on. Looks like for them, being early in the event won’t be that useful.

One of the automotive officials stated that the event's costs including logistics costs, car and engine imports, accommodation, food and infrastructure setup will be exorbitant. In addition, the officials added that the footfall of vehicle enthusiasts in Greater is not that much.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers(SIAM), who host the Auto Expo, are discussing the possibility of several companies participating.

Why Top Brands Have Chosen to Opt-out of Auto Expo 2023?

High costs, poor ROI and unfavourable venue are the few highlighting reasons why leading automotive brands are not participating in the Auto Expo 2023.

Nearly two dozen automotive brands have decided to give Auto Expo 2023 a cold welcome, including top names in the passenger car category, the top tier of the two-wheeler industry, and the luxury car industry. Missing Brands in Auto expo make up over 80% of India's total domestic volume.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), the biggest brand is set to miss out on the event as it has already displayed its entire upcoming product range, which includes five electric SUVs. Moreover, French car brand Citroen, the last to have a presence in India, has also decided to stay away from the show despite the need to attract a crowd for brand building.

"The total cost of the show will be INR 30-50 crore per week. I would rather use this money to fund 1-2 months of my marketing budget. So ROI (return on investment) is quite low," said the head of one of the European car brands.

Top Motorcycle brands that are opting out of Auto Expo 2023

1. Hero MotoCorp
2. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd.
3. KTM
4. TVS Motor Company
5. Bajaj Auto Ltd
6. Royal Enfield
7. Harley-Davidson

Top car-makers that are opting out of Auto Expo 2023

1. Volkswagen
2. Audi
3. Skoda
4. Porsche
5. Lamborghini
6. BMW
7. Citroen
8. Force Motors
9. Honda Cars India
10. Isuzu
11. Jaguar
12. Jeep
13. Land Rover
14. Mercedes-Benz
15. Mini
16. Renault
18. Nissan

Reasons Why Brands Won’t Attend Auto Expo 2023??

"Even if the organisers do not raise the rates on exhibition space, the impact of inflation will be seen on other aspects such as food and beverages, security, lighting equipment and decorations, electricity costs, public relations and event management costs, transportation, celebrities promotion cost, approval and living expenses" said another car company executive.

The statement by many Bus manufacturers can be read as "my target audience is a large fleet buyer. The typical Auto Expo visitor is different from the mainstream audience. So it makes a little sense for us to spend that much on a kiosk that can hold a maximum of 2-3 trucks for an audience that is not even my goal," said the head of the truck and bus manufacturer.

Companies from other segments avoid the show as they believe the event is mainly about the car and SUV launches, leaving little room for bike, truck and bus manufacturers. However, in recent years, the emergence of other similar events, such as India Bike Week, Prawaas, Bus World, and Excon, which have an industry focus, has gained the attention of Brands.

Let’s wrap up the discussion

The effect of the lack of enthusiasm on the part of car companies in previous editions was visible as the expectations needed to meet in attendance at Auto Expo. In total, 6,08,526 visitors visited the exhibition in 2020, which is 0.55% more than in 2018, when it was seen by 605,175 visitors, which, in turn, is 0.54% more than in 2016, when 601,914 visitors visited it.

During Auto Expo 2020, organisers, including the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), charged INR 9,500 per square metre for exhibition space, slightly up to 2018. It was INR 8,400 per square metre in 2018.

Some other global car shows, such as the Frankfurt Motor Show and EICMA (held in Italy), are more expensive. EICMA is focused mainly on two-wheeled vehicles. However, Royal Enfield does not participate in the India Auto Expo, while it has experienced EICMA numerous times. While the auto industry has been positive about Auto Expo, loyal customers such as Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors and relatively smaller brands such as MG Motor and BYD will have products debuting at the show.

Stay tuned with us, we at bikejunction are covering auto expo latest news & updates this year for you.