Almost all companies showcased products that may or may not see the light of the day. Some even included products which will remain a concept and never hit the production lines.
Though historically auto shows have been a breeding ground for companies to showcase future launches, the recently-concluded Auto Expo 2018 was a disappointment.
Almost all companies showcased products that may or may not see the light of the day. Some even included products which will remain a concept and never hit the production lines.
For instance car market leader Maruti Suzuki did not showcase its upcoming models of Wagon R, Vitara or the new Alto, which has been in the works for sometime. Instead the Delhi-based company showcased a crossover concept Future S that may not be commercially launched before 2020.
Similarly of the two dozen-odd products showcased by utility vehicle specialist Mahindra & Mahindra, many were just concepts. The company decided not to display its two awaited products one of which is a premium people carrier (codenamed U321) and the other is a compact sports utility vehicle (codenamed S201).
Hyundai too disappointed the audience as there were expectations of the showcasing of the all-new Santro. This compact car is set to return to India before the festive season. A compact SUV is also on the cards that will go on sale next year. Instead the Korean brand displayed the new Elite i20 and a new top-end version of the Grand i10 at the Expo.
While Honda did surprise the crowd with the unveiling of the third generation Amaze it decided against showcasing the HR-V, which the company is believed to actively considering about bringing to India. Civic and CR-V were the other launches by Honda at the Expo. All three cars will go on sale this year.
The center of attraction for French car maker Renault at the Auto Expo was the Trezor, a concept electric sports car. There is no confirmation about its commercial launch even internationally as of now. Renault is however readying a Kwid-based, compact people carrier, a next-gen Duster and an electric version of the Kwid, none of which was displayed by the company.
Only Tata Motors showcased its future line up including the new premium SUV, a premium hatchback (both will debut next year), AMT version of the Nexon (debut this year) and electric version of the Tiago and Tigor (likely debut this year).
As per data revealed by the Auto Expo governing body the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers less than 8 percent of all the 100 products revealed were actual commercial launches. These were the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Elite i20, Mercedes Maybach S650, BMW M5 and 6 Series GT.
Toyota did showcase the Yaris, a mid-segment sedan that will take on the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. The company has been working on a compact SUV for India as well as a compact sedan. No concepts of these models were showcased by the company.
