Autocar Professional's February 15 issue: The sum of all parts at Auto Expo

If Autocar Professional’s Auto Expo 2020 preview issue (February 1) was anything to go by, then the February 15 review special is a cracker full of content: exclusive interviews, vehicle and component reveals, and lots more. India’s biggest auto component trade fair transformed Pragati Maidan into a global marketplace for all parts, big and small and introduced some of the latest green technologies, safety measures and latest innovations.

With participation from nearly 1,500 component suppliers and 400 of them launching 1,200 new products at the 15^th Auto Expo 2020 - Components in New Delhi, it was not surprising that the four-day trade fair saw record visitor footfalls over 115,000 business visitors. It was, perhaps, the most thumping vote of confidence that put to nought the naysayers and sent across a strong signal to overall industry that the tough get going when the going gets tough.
 

It was not just the domestic component market but global players too put up a show of strength with individual pavilions housing several companies, all this notwithstanding the slowdown, lower demand and outbreak of the COVID-19 in China.

Global perspective
In this issue, we bring you perspectives from across the world. Local and global stakeholders come together to highlight the big mobility trends of tomorrow – as well as the many challenges in a disruptive era.

Masahi Oshita, Vice-Chairman and Executive Director of the Japan Auto Parts Association (JAPIA) says the “Indian market is not an easy one – it is cost conscious and sees heavy competition.” Meanwhile his UK counterpart, Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) sees “opportunity for serious business deals between India and the UK,” and Jonathon Azzopardi, President and CEO, of Laval International and past president of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMM), vouches for the country’s expertise, saying “Canada is the perfect partner for India” to take business forward. 

Undeterred by the slowdown, Varroc Group’s Managing Director Tarang Jain says the Group has invested 250 million euros for expansion and is in the process of setting up six plants across Asia and Europe. Similarly, MAHLE’s management says the company is exploring opportunities in India.

The Andhra Pradesh government, which has seen Kia Motors make a huge success of its project in Anantapur, is aggressively working to become a major automotive hub. In an exclusive interview, Subramanyam Javvadi, CEO of Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, tells Autocar Professional just why Andhra Pradesh should be a preferred manufacturing destination for India and Global Auto Inc.  

ACMA packs a punch, Motor Show thrills with product reveals
ACMA spiced up the component fair with its special pavilions like the Safer Drives, which disseminated the message of use of genuine parts, and the Technovation pavilion where 16 companies including eight start-ups pushed the innovation envelope and how.

The Motor Show, although without some regular biggies, still had its fair bit of excitement in the form of new metal. The Volkswagen Group took the covers off the first two concept cars of its India 2.0 revival strategy – the Skoda Vision IN and the Volkswagen Taigun – which constitute the first new moves in quest of its aim to gain a 5% passenger vehicle market share in India. Tata Motors wowed showgoers with plenty of metal and brought back the blast from the past – the Tata Sierra – in an electric avatar. The much-awaited reveals from Great Wall Motor also happened and it’s all there in this issue. Not to be outdone, Mahindra & Mahindra showcased its future-readiness in EVs, BS VI and also revealed its brand-new mStallion family of petrol engines designed to drive into a greener world of fewer diesels.

FADA debates the disruptive future, honours the movers and shakers
The annual FADA Auto Summit was held concurrently with the Auto Expo and it saw OEM representatives, industry think-tanks and government dignitaries debate and discuss both opportunities and challenges. The event also saw the apex dealer association recognise and honour the best-performing dealers and dealerships across the country for their laudatory work in 2019, clearly a difficult year when it came to selling vehicles on two-, four and more wheels.

We’ve also got lots of news in this mid-month issue, which is all of 64 pages.

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