Auto Expo 2016 bids fair to be the biggest yet

The countdown to the biggest ever Auto Expo has begun. The SIAM, ACMA and CII-organised Auto Expo 2016 bids fair to be the biggest yet. It comprises two shows – ‘The Auto Expo Motor Show’ from February 5-9 at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, while ‘The Auto Expo Component Show’ will be held from February 4-7 at Pragati Maidan.

Visitors to the Motor Show this year will find a lot more space – a total of 79,000 square metres including gross indoor exhibition space of 68,000 square metres. The venue gets an additional carpet area of 37,240 square metres complete with air-conditioning and power supply cabling. Compared to the eight permanent halls in the 2014 event, now there are 14. Further, 10,000 square metres will be allocated to food stalls and other amenities and another 22,000 square metres will be an open space also housing food and beverage stalls. The Motor Show is expecting over 600,000 visitors during the five public days, which will be an increase of almost 20 percent than the last edition.

Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai today, Sugato Sen, deputy director general, SIAM, said, “We are the biggest auto show in the world in terms of average footfalls per public day. Auto Shanghai is close but it is less. Auto Expo has an average daily public footfall of 126,000 while Auto Shanghai has somewhere near 118,000.”

Over 100 exhibitors at the Motor Show, 1,500 at the Component Show

While the Motor Show will see around 100 exhibitors including 65 big players, the Component Show will see participation from 1,500 exhibitors from around 20 countries.

The key exhibitors at the Motor Show include Ashok Leyland, Audi, BMW, Datsun, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda Cars, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jaguar Land Rover, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault, Scania Commercial Vehicles, SML Isuzu, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, VE Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen India among others. Representing the two-wheeler industry will be Hero MotoCorp, Yamaha, Mahindra 2-Wheelers, Piaggio Vehicles, Suzuki Motorcycles, Triumph Motorcycles and TVS Motor Company. There will also be new entrants such as Abarth, BMW Motorrad, Jeep, DSK Benelli, Indian Motorcycles and many more. However, Bajaj Auto, Volvo and Harley-Davidson will not be a part of Auto Expo 2016.

Other highlights of the show will be displays of high-end bicycles, tyres and tubes, oil products as also participation from companies engaged in automotive design and technology, engineering and IT. Expect to also see institutions, universities and auto insurance companies.

What’s new?

Auto Expo 2016 will have several concurrent events including an Auto Design Challenge, Biofuel workshop, Auto Trade dialogue, Styling and Design and an auto summit by FADA. The expo will also feature country-specific pavilions and a new pavilion designated to bearings.

Getting there

The venue will be accessible through six entry points with CISF handling the security. There will also be free shuttle services available from the nearest metro station, the Botanical Gardens, Noida city centre and Pragati Maidan with as many as 160 CNG-run DTC buses being pressed into service. Furthermore, there will also be a smartphone app available to help navigate through the various exhibits at the venue.

Tickets and timings

Ticket bookings for the expo are already open on the Auto Expo’s official website www.autoexpo-themotorshow.in and www.bookmyshow.com. The tickets are priced at Rs 650 for business hours during weekdays (10am-1pm), Rs 300 for general public hours during weekdays (1pm-6pm), and Rs 400 for weekends (10am-7pm). However, business hours ticket holders can also enter during public hours and visit the show till 6pm.

Free home delivery is offered on bookings of 3 to 10 tickets made before December 31, 2015. Otherwise, home delivery charges of Rs 75 per booking will be levied. Home delivery will not available for tickets booked online after January 25, 2016. Delivery starts from January 15, 2016, or the tickets can be collected from counters located at parking lots near the venue.