Bikes & Scooters We Would Have Loved To See At The 2020 Auto Expo

The Auto Expo is (or at least used to be) the highlight of every alternate year for most Indian journalists out there. The reason I say ‘used to be’ is because the lineup for this year’s edition is a bit underwhelming, at least on paper. There are some major manufacturers who will be absent and hence a lot of very exciting motorcycles and scooters that will be absent as a result. Here are all the two-wheelers we wish were coming to the 2020 Auto Expo:

TVS Zeppelin

TVS made waves at the 2018 Auto Expo when it unveiled the Zeppelin cruiser in concept form. We were hoping to see the bike in a production or pre-production form at this year’s event, but with TVS being absent from the attendee’s list, unfortunately that won’t be possible.

Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L

Honda updated its legendary Africa Twin last year and gave it a bigger heart. The new motor now displaces 1,084cc and puts out 102PS and 105Nm, but we’re yet to see this new bike in India. Our hearts were set on laying eyes on it at the Expo, but Honda’s absence from the event means we’ll have to wait a little longer.

Kawasaki ZH2

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Kawasaki has displayed its supercharged lineup at previous Expos before introducing the bikes into our market, and we were hoping for the same with the latest blower as well. The ZH2 was unveiled after much anticipation at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, but unfortunately Kawasaki and the ZH2 will both be missing from the Expo next month.

New Emflux Bikes

Emflux blew us all away with its One electric superbike at the previous Expo, and then revealed earlier this year that it’s working on not one, but two new e-superbikes. Upon hearing this announcement, we were really keen on seeing them in the metal, at least in concept form, at the 2020 Expo, but unfortunately the brand will not be in attendance.

TVS Creon/Jupiter Electric

The Creon electric scooter made our jaws drop all the way to the floor at the previous edition of the Expo, and we were really looking forward to seeing it a pre-production form at the Expo. We also recently spotted what we think was an electric version of the Jupiter being tested close to the brand’s headquarters in Hosur, and we’d love to see this e-scooter up close as well. But with TVS setting up its own MotoSoul festival and giving the Expo a miss, we’ll have to sit tight for a while before we can see these e-scooters.

22Kymco iFlow

Keeping with the e-scooters theme, let’s talk about the 22Kymco iFlow. Now, on paper it was launched in XX, but in reality, the company is not accepting bookings yet so no deliveries have been made, and we haven’t seen any examples on the road. So we were hoping to be able to check it out in the metal (or perhaps fibre) at the Expo, but 22Kymco will be absent from this year’s edition.

Lambretta G-Special

The iconic Italian brand announced at EICMA last year that it was working on an electric scooter based on the G325. We even reported that the G-Special e-scooter would make its global debut at the 2020 Auto Expo, but with Lambretta having withdrawn from the event, we’ll have to wait a little longer before we lay eyes see its e-scooter.

Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade

Another headline grabber at EICMA 2019 was Honda’s mental new Fireblade. With 4 Rs in its name, a 217PS power output and MotoGP style winglets, you can be sure that this new blade is going to be absolutely bonkers. Honda has finally gotten serious about its superbike and we were itching to check it out up close at the Expo, but the Japanese manufacturer doused our enthusiasm by announcing its absence from the event. *Sigh*

Suzuki Katana

The one Japanese manufacturer that will be present at the 2020 Expo is Suzuki, and we’ve already told you what to expect from the brand. Unfortunately, while we had earlier thought that its Katana would be present at its stall, we’ve now learned that this won’t be the case. The 1981 model name was resurrected last year with the 999cc motor from the GSX-S1000, and we hope it makes its way to India sometime soon.

Indian Challenger

The other American cruiser brand quietly launched its Challenger last week, and since we haven’t been able to scrutinise it in person yet, we had our hearts set on doing so at the Expo. This bike is powered by the all-new 1769cc Challenger motor, making it the most powerful Indian bagger out there. But with Indian skipping the 2020 Expo, we’ll have to twiddle our thumbs for just a little longer before we can check it out.