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Cars at Auto Expo 2010 Part-I

The 10th Auto Expo was flagged off at the Pragati Maidan exposition grounds in New Delhi on 5th January 2010. The show which attracted over 2,100 participants from 30 countries is a growing testimony to India's emergence as a major auto market and hub for the global automobile industry.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised this Auto Expo and the show saw a turnover of over two lakhs visitors during the week-long show.

The Indian automotive industry has a turnover of more than $18 billion (Rs.90,000 Crore) today and gained significantly through new tie-ups, partnerships and marketing initiatives during Auto Expo. The Expo witnessed the largest-ever overseas participation with contingents from Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Britain.

This time apart from cars, commercial vehicles, two-wheelers and other variety of automobile accessories were also on display. Other displays at the event included a wide range of new and locally designed and developed auto components. Many of these component designs have been patented in the country as well as overseas.

As it is not possible to write about all the car launches and displays at the Delhi Auto Expo at one go, we have taken this article in parts.

1. We here give out the gist of the Auto Expo starting with the number one car maker of India. Maruti Suzuki, India's largest car maker displayed a total of seventeen cars at the 2010 Auto Expo.

Maruti Suzuki launched the Eeco MPV which is a replacement for the Versa. The Eeco is a five-door, C segment vehicle, which has been specifically designed for India by the auto-major. It comes with a new, powerful and highly fuel efficient 1200 cc engine that can deliver 73 bhp of power. The Maruti Suzuki Eeco is designed to meet the Indian driving conditions. It comes as a five-seater as well as a seven-seater. The best part of this MPV is, it comes with an economical price tag.
Suzuki Kizashi was displayed in the Expo. This D-segment car is a combination of Japanese quality and European style flair. Suzuki Kizashi is the sixth World Strategic model from the Suzuki Motor Corporation's stable. Suzuki Kizashi is powered by a 2.4-litre VVT petrol engine coupled with a six-speed manual transmission and equipped with Continuously Variable Transmission which delivers a huge peak power output of 176 bhp.
The R III MPV concept was showcased at the Auto Expo. It is an indigenous Indian car designed, developed and manufactured by a team of Indian engineers. The R III will be based on the SX4 platform and will boast a 1.3-litre multijet diesel and a 1.4-litre K-Series engine.
The SX4 hatchback and SX4 Hybrid Concept were also displayed at the Auto Show.
Maruti Suzuki also displayed the YR9 small car and the Y3 small car concept. The YR9 will be strapped with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and the YR3 is being designed as an 800 replacement.

Tata Motors finally let the world get a sneak peek of its Aria, Nano Europa and the Prima sedan apart from many other commercial vehicles. It has showcased as many as 37 vehicles at the Expo.
- Tata Motors previewed the much awaited Tata Aria which was earlier called as the Indicruz in Indian motoring circles. The Aria is a crossover based on a brand new platform with a generous wheelbase of 2750 mm and will carry a 2.2 litre Direct Injection Common Rail (DICOR) diesel engine that can churn out 140 bhp and 320 Nm of torque.
- Commercial vehicles such as Tata Venture with a 71 bhp diesel engine and Tata Magic Iris with 11bhp engine that could replace the auto rickshaws were also showcased at the Expo.
- Tata Motors exhibited the stunning Jaguar XJ limo which features a 385 bhp, 5.0-litre V8 engine and the new Land Rover Discovery 4.
- Tata Motors also showcased the spruced-up version of its popular Indica Vista called the Indica Vista Sport and smartened Nano.
- The electric version of Indica Vista and the Nano hybrid also graced Tata Motor's stall.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors marked its presence with its concept and green cars at the Expo.
- It previewed the Etios concept car both in the sedan and the hatchback versions which was developed exclusively for the Indian market. The hatchback will be equipped with a 1.2-litre petrol engine that will derive a power of around 70 bhp and will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The sedan, on the other hand, will be driven a 1.5-litre petrol engine with over 100 bhp.
- Toyota launched its popular hybrid Prius sedan in India equipped with a 1.8L, 2ZR FXE engine that churns out 134 bhp and also features Electrically controlled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which makes it a world-leading fuel efficient car.
- This Japanese car honcho also displayed its Camry Hybrid along with fuel-cell powered Fine-S concept and the i-Real concept.
- Toyota also launched the Corolla Altis CNG while the Innova CNG was displayed at the show.

General Motors displayed the newly launched Chevrolet Beat which was launched globally in India a day prior to the Auto Expo.
- To add some colour and muscle to the show, the car behemoth also showcased the muscular Chevrolet Camaro, the Cruze WTCC, the Chevrolet Volt and the electric version of the Spark.