Days after the high profile auto expo organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) concluded in Delhi, the chamber flagged off Wheelz 2014, an auto expo on a smaller scale. This year, nine car manufacturers and five twowheeler companies are participating at the fare, showcasing more than six dozen products that range from scooterettes priced Rs 30,000 to luxury cars with sticker price of over Rs 1 crore.
While this is the third edition of Wheelz, this year it is being viewed with added significance by the auto industry as it offers a last gasp opportunity to shore up sales before the fiscal draws to a close. With the industry recording a sales drop across segments, auto manufacturers are hoping the excitement generated by launches at the auto expo will translates to footfall at Wheelz and convert a portion of enquiry into sales.
Among the cars that have made it to the Wheelz from the Auto Expo are the new generation Honda City, Maruti’s latest hatch Celerio featuring the auto gear technology, Tata’s Nano Twist and Vista Tech, Hyundai's new generation Santa Fe. The disappointment is with Force Motors that has showcased the old variant of its premium SUV Force One. The other car makers present are Fiat and Chevrolet.
At the luxury end of the car market, BMW has showcased the SUVs X1 and X3 as well as the sedans 5 Series and 7 Series. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, displayed the B Class tourer and M Class SUV while offering two sedans — C Class and E Class — for test drives.
Among two wheelers, the spotlight is firmly on Harley Davidson that displayed the Fat Boy, Iron and Super Low. In addition, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Hero Motor Corp, the number one and two in the Indian bike and scooter industry have a high decibel presence with the entire range. TVS and Mahindra Two Wheelers have also displayed their portfolio. Biking gear outfits have also set up two stalls.
CII principal advisor Subrata Niyogi is confident Wheelz will draw the crowds. “The display of several new models should kindle interest in cars. While scope for taking test drives and registering sales in the Delhi auto expo is limited, the industry is expecting good business at Wheelz,” said Niyogi. In fact, the participation by companies is the highest this year at 22 against 12 in the first edition and 16 in the second.
While this is the third edition of Wheelz, this year it is being viewed with added significance by the auto industry as it offers a last gasp opportunity to shore up sales before the fiscal draws to a close. With the industry recording a sales drop across segments, auto manufacturers are hoping the excitement generated by launches at the auto expo will translates to footfall at Wheelz and convert a portion of enquiry into sales.
Among the cars that have made it to the Wheelz from the Auto Expo are the new generation Honda City, Maruti’s latest hatch Celerio featuring the auto gear technology, Tata’s Nano Twist and Vista Tech, Hyundai's new generation Santa Fe. The disappointment is with Force Motors that has showcased the old variant of its premium SUV Force One. The other car makers present are Fiat and Chevrolet.
At the luxury end of the car market, BMW has showcased the SUVs X1 and X3 as well as the sedans 5 Series and 7 Series. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, displayed the B Class tourer and M Class SUV while offering two sedans — C Class and E Class — for test drives.
Among two wheelers, the spotlight is firmly on Harley Davidson that displayed the Fat Boy, Iron and Super Low. In addition, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Hero Motor Corp, the number one and two in the Indian bike and scooter industry have a high decibel presence with the entire range. TVS and Mahindra Two Wheelers have also displayed their portfolio. Biking gear outfits have also set up two stalls.
CII principal advisor Subrata Niyogi is confident Wheelz will draw the crowds. “The display of several new models should kindle interest in cars. While scope for taking test drives and registering sales in the Delhi auto expo is limited, the industry is expecting good business at Wheelz,” said Niyogi. In fact, the participation by companies is the highest this year at 22 against 12 in the first edition and 16 in the second.
