NEW DELHI: Concept cars and electric vehicles dominate this year’s Auto Expo with only a handful of actual launches. Given the government’s thrust on EVs and changing preference among Indian consumers, automakers focused on re-inventing their line-up. The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki showcased its locally developed new ConceptFutureS to set the tone for its future design language. It also unveiled an electric powered concept e-SURVIVOR.
Kenichi Ayukawa, CEO & MD of MSIL said the company would launch its first electric vehicle in 2020 in India, which will be locally manufactured. Its nearest competitor Hyundai Motor India said that it would introduce EV for the Indian market by 2019. Hyundai also said it would launch nine new models in the Indian market by 2020 while launching the ‘2018 ELITE i20’ at a starting price of Rs 5.34 lakh at the expo.
Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors stood out from the rest in showing their future line-up. Tata unveiled two new vehicular architecture platforms for passenger vehicles- H5X concept vehicle and futuristic concept hatchback 45X. The two vehicles carry international appeal and can help Tata in its turnaround strategy. Mahindra unveiled six new electric concept vehicles and lifted cover on its South Korean arm SsangYong’s G4 Rexton SUV, which will be launched in the Indian market later this year under the Mahindra brand name.
French carmaker Renault showcased ZOE e-Sport Concept - a fully electric concept, which can acceleration from standstill to 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds.
On the two-wheeler front, the show was stolen by Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India. Hero showcased premium bikes — Xtreme 200R and XPulse 200 — that will be launched by 2019. HMSI unveiled 11 new products including an all-new 160cc motorcycle X-Blade that will be launched next month and a new version of its best selling scooter Activa.