Around 20 new cars and about 12 facelifts are expected around the Auto Expo in February as carmakers look to whip up some excitement in the domestic market. Big new launches include the new Honda City, a segment leader that will feature a diesel engine for the first time. Honda, which is expected to have among the largest range of new models on display, will also showcase the Mobilio compact MPV, the new Jazz and the ‘Vezel’ compact SUV that goes on sale in Japan next month.
Market leader Maruti Suzuki India will also launch and unveil around three new models after a a year ? new models include a small car replacing the A-Star, a new SX4 crossover and a new sedan replacing the current SX4, which will be launched in the later part of 2014.
Photos: New Honda ‘City’ version unveiled
Gaurav Vangaal, automotive analyst for light vehicle forecasting at IHS, told FE, ?The Auto Expo excites everyone from manufacturer to consumer and it is always a place of new launches, unveiling and showing brand strength though futuristic concepts.? New launches are expected to pull customers to showrooms since passenger vehicle sales are down 4.6% at 14.4 lakh units in April-October FY14.
Hyundai is expected to have a global unveiling of its new compact SUV at the Expo, while showcasing a compact sedan version of its newly launched Grand i10 hatch. Toyota is likely to showcase the new Corolla, while Nissan sub-brand Datsun will launch its first model, the Go hatch and showcase the Go+ MPV. Tata Motors, which has seen sales take a sharp dip in the last two years, will also unveil its first new small car after the Nano and the Indica Vista debuted in the 2008 edition of the Auto Expo. Tata will show case the Falcon 4 small car and Falcon 5 compact sedan, which will feature an all-new turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine. Ford will also showcase the Figo concept that debuted in Brazil recently ? the Figo will have a sedan version available for the first time.
New brands at the Delhi Auto Expo include China’s Great Wall Motors and Fiat-Chrysler’s Jeep. The Jeep brand will unveil the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler SUVs, which will be launched later in the year. In the luxury space, Audi is likely to showcase the A3 compact sedan while Mercedes-Benz will show case the GLA compact SUV and CLA compact sedan.
Kumar Kandaswami, senior director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, said in a flat market, companies will try to drive traffic on to their brands through new launches. “Though none of the new car development is short-term, since companies had been planning for this, some will try to advance launches while others will delay it to be able to hit the market at just the right time,” he said.
There will also be a clutch of face-lifts showcased and launched around the same time. This includes an updated Maruti Swift, a Chevrolet Beat with a new face, Skoda Yeti and Superb with major design changes, a refreshed Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd Scorpio. Popular models like the Renault Duster and Hyundai’s i20, Elantra and Verna are also likely to get face-lifts, sources said.
After China, the Indian Auto Expo is the largest motor show in the world both in terms of footfall and display space. In fact, display space at the 13th edition next year has been increased by 30% to 50,000 square metres. Scheduled to be held between February 6 and 12, it will be held at a new venue, Greater Noida’s Expo Mart, for the first time, though the fair for auto component makers will be held at the same venue, Pragati Maidan.
