Auto Expo 2020 Will Be Part Electric, Part BS6-Centric, And A Whole Lot Hectic

The 2020 Auto Expo around the corner and it promises to be one of the most important editions ever, what with the Indian automotive industry shifting its focus to cleaner and greener mobility. The upcoming expo will play host to various launches, unveils, as well as future technology. The outcome of this year’s expo is also crucial for manufacturers who hope to compensate for poor sales in 2019.  Here’s a detailed look at everything that’s in store for us motoring enthusiasts at Auto Expo 2020.

Location and History

The Auto Expo was conceived in 1985, with its debut show held from January 3 to 11, 1986. It is jointly organised by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). It is essentially a platform for Indian manufacturers to showcase their latest technologies as well as play host to unveils and launches. 

By 1998, the Auto Expo became a biennial event. Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, was the home of the Auto Expo since its debut until 2012. It was later replaced by the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida that has hosted the expo since 2014. The upcoming edition of the Auto Expo will continue to be hosted at the same venue. The venue will be spread over a total area of 2,35,000 sq. m with major automobile manufacturers participating in a built-up area of 51,000 sq. m.

Theme

The underlying theme for Auto Expo 2020, is ‘Explore the World of Mobility’. It aims to showcase the industry’s vision for a safer, cleaner, connected, bespoke and shared mobility for tomorrow.  It will also provide visitors an experience of the ever-evolving mobility eco-system with newer and enhanced solutions that are future-ready.  Aside from that, the expo will also highlight two major countdowns. The first being manufacturers preparing their entire model lineup for a  BS6 upgrade  before the April 2020 deadline. The other major countdown will be the EV revolution in the country that kicked off in 2019 with the Hyundai Kona Electric. 

Participants 

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Auto Expo 2020 will witness several manufacturers making their debut or returning to our shores. This includes Maruti Suzuki confirming its lineup with the limelight being on its swanky Futuro-E concept. Other highlights include the BS6-petrol Vitara Brezza, facelifted Ignis, Swift hybrid along with 14 other cars. Hyundai’s highlight at the expo will be the debut of the 2020 Creta and the facelifted Elantra. We’ll also get to see Tucson facelift, i30N hatchback and the Nexo fuel-cell SUV at the show. 

Tata Motors’ lineup for the expo will consist of a handful of SUVs - the highlight being its 7-seater SUV, the Gravitas as well as the debut of the 2020 Harrier. We could also see the H2X concept and the Altroz EV show up as well. 

Then we have Skoda and Volkswagen returning to the expo after being merged into Skoda Auto Volkswagen India. This merger will showcase several vehicles ranging from the Tiguan Allspace, T-ROC SUV to the India 2.0 SUV.  It will also give us a glimpse of the Vision IN, Octavia RS245, Superb facelift, Kodiaq TSI, and the Karoq SUV.  

We’ll also see MG Motor India making its expo debut. MG will showcase a bunch of SUVs starting with the i-Vision concept, Maxus D90 and possibly the Hector 6-seater. The MG 6 hatchback, as well as the MG 360 sedan, could also be showcased. Kia Motors India will launch of the Carnival MPV, as well as debut the QYI sub-4 metre SUV. Other possible models could be the Soul EV, Stinger GT, Sportage crossover and the Niro hatchback. 

Mahindra’s lineup for the Auto Expo 2020 consists of SUVs and Electrics. The EV lineup will have four cars, including the XUV300 electric, eKUV100 electric, possibly the XUV500 electric concept and the Atom super compact EV.  It will also showcase the BS6-compliant Alturas, XUV300 and the Marazzo. Renault will have 12 cars on display, with the main highlight being the HBC sub-4 metre SUV. Another car that has been teased for the expo is the Zoe EV hatchback. It could also launch the Triber AMT and Triber petrol. A Kwid-based concept could also be on the cards.

Another debutant at the expo will be Great Wall Motors that will showcase SUVs and electric vehicles from the Haval and Ora brand. It consists of the Vision 2025 concept,  Concept H, as well as other SUVs like the H9, H6 and H2.

And finally, we have Mercedes-Benz which will have two high profile launches in the form of the AMG GT 4 door coupe and V-Class Marco Polo. The 2020 A-Class, 2020 GLA and the EQC will also be showcased.  The new GLS and CLA could also show up.

Not Attending

While the Auto Expo 2020 will feature a host of manufacturers, there are also some that will skip the expo. Some of the major ones include Audi, BMW, Toyota, Honda as well as Citroen. Jeep, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Lexus and Volvo have also decided to give the expo a miss for several reasons such as the transition to BS6 emission norms, sales slump, as well as rising inventory.

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