Auto Expo 2020: Kia Carnival, Tata Sierra Concept & Other Highlights From Day 1

The Mahindra & Mahindra display had a busy day as a host of interesting vehicles were showcased. The E KUV 1OO was officially launched at a price point of 8.25 lakhs ex showroom, thus making it the most affordable electric subcompact in the country.

Auto Expo 2020 Day 1: There were launches and unveiling events galore by almost all the participating exhibitors, scheduled back to back across multiple halls at the expo venue/ Picture courtesy: PTI, Getty Images

New Delhi: So it’s that time of the year again when all the petrol heads in the country converge for their biannual pilgrimage, the Delhi auto expo. The cold winter mornings, the familiar faces, the slow-moving long queues at the entry gate coupled with irritating traffic snarl-ups, all bring back a feeling of déjà vu. Interestingly a rather welcome emotion for all of us who have regularly been paying obeisance here. While the traditional venue for this mega gathering over the last few decades used to be the iconic Pragati maidan, the renovation program there has led the event, over the last few years, to shift to Greater Noida’s India expo mart. While this is definitely a far more contemporary and compact venue, in my opinion, it lacks the soul and the scale of the original and hence takes away something indescribable from this fair. The depressed markets and the rather unimaginative budget didn’t really help the exhibitor turn out at the 2020 auto expo. Majority of the two-wheeler manufacturers in addition to a host of mainstream car manufacturers choose to give this edition of the expo a miss. Sure it put a dampener on things but nevertheless the show always does go on and so it did. The first day of the expo, which is primarily an exclusive media-only day, always turns out to be hectic and it didn’t disappoint this time around either. There were launches and unveiling events galore by almost all the participating exhibitors, scheduled back to back across multiple halls at the expo venue, this ensured the entire media contingent could be seen scurrying back and forth through the day. Maruti Suzuki unveils compact SUV design concept model: While the industry leader, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, set the tone for the day, at 8 am in the morning it unveiled a compact SUV design concept model, nothing more nothing less. This attempt was primarily to give a hint of the design direction that future production models might possibly take, a tad disappointing for all who were looking at something more consequential coming from the Indian automobile giant. There onwards, over the next few hours it was as if new car models were just tumbling out various manufacturers closets! Kia Motors launches the Carnival: Kia officially launched its Toyota crysta replacement, the Carnival. A good looking people carrier, actually make that ‘ a great looking people carrier’. It’s longer and wider than the Toyota with a far more powerful engine with better fuel economy, in addition to lots of inbuilt tech goodies, just  what the Indian customer would order. Sure it’s more expensive ( between 24 lakhs & 33 lakhs for its three variants ) but with the goodwill garnered by the Seltos, Kia should find it easier to move these from their showrooms. Tata Motors presents Sierra E concept: Tata Motors showcased its Sierra E concept, which was rather well received because of the retro connection and interesting design. They also showcased the new larger version of the Harrier, the Gravitas, not deviating from the Harrier styling at all. The TATA display had the smartly turned out EV range of the Nexon and the Altroz. One must mention here that the current design cues found across the new TATA range of vehicles are exemplary. It is evident that the manufacturers are taking this aspect seriously and so is the Indian car buyer. Picture: Getty Images Mahindra & Mahindra officially launches E KUV 1OO: The Mahindra & Mahindra display had a busy day as well, a host of interesting vehicles were showcased. The E KUV 1OO was officially launched at a price point of 8.25 lakhs ex showroom, thus making it the most affordable electric subcompact in the country. A small utilitarian last mile connectivity electric 4 wheeler called ‘ATOM’ was also showcased in addition to the concept version of the Electric XUV3OO. The most amount of excitement was caused when the convertible concept car called ‘funster’ was unveiled. eKUV100/ Getty Images Hyundai’s  BS6 Tucson & Mercedes’ AMG 63GT on display Hyundai showcased the BS6 Tucson with an 8 speed auto and AWD. Mercedes unveiled the mighty AMG 63GT and the new GLA along with the AMG A35 LIMO. It goes without saying that the former created the most amount of excitement, with a BITURBO V8 pumping out 600plus hp and 900NM of torque, this is one car that means business. To make matters more interesting, it also features rear-wheel steering. Volkswagen showcased the T roc, a very smart compact crossover SUV  with a host of very signature VW design cues. Hyundai Tuscon/ Image: PTI MG Motors displays Marvel X The Chinese were represented by MG motors India Ltd and the Great Wall Motors. Both companies focused on a host of connected cars with a fair bit of AI thrown into the fray, cars that parked themselves and promised to brake automatically if the car ahead slowed down. MG showcased its Marvel X which had very impressive and premium cabin interiors with one of the biggest touch screens one has seen in cars as its driver UI for almost all the feature navigation, while GWM showcased its HAVAL range of SUV’s. Both MG and GWM leveraged their expertise in electric and hybrid models which incorporated a host of autonomous features. In addition to being tech rich these cars were impeccably designed and detailed. It seems that the market is going to see a serious onslaught from these car manufacturers in terms of offerings that benchmark technology at very competitive price points. That by and large wraps up the first day at the expo. Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day as well when we get to see the Brezza and the Ignis evolutions as well as the new offerings from Hyundai, till then feast your eyes on all the  content curated today.