Car Makers Skipping Auto Expo Due To High Costs Involved

Nissan Terrano Facelift

Automakers like Volkswagen, JLR, Ford and Nissan will skip the biennial event in about two months; non-participation number much higher than 2016 edition

Several auto majors will skip the upcoming 2018 Delhi Auto Expo citing the reason of prohibitively high cost and low returns. The venue of the biennial event too has raised question from the automakers. Overall, the 2018 edition of Delhi Auto Expo is surely going to lose the glamour as it had in 2016.

A total of 32 car and motorcycle manufacturing companies have decided not to participate in the event. These include Volkswagen, Ford, Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Isuzu, Volvo, Datsun, Fiat, Jeep, Bajaj Auto, Harley Davidson, Triumph, KTM, MV Agusta, Piaggio etc. Norton Motorcycle that has tied up with Motoroyale to enter Indian market is also not participating in the event and among the car makers, MG Motors won’t be present.

Volkswagen AMEO Compact Sedan-2

Also read: 2018 BMW i3 To Make India Debut At Upcoming Auto Expo

Not only glamour, as so many automobile brands will be absent in the event, it is expected to see a revenue loss of at least Rs. 320 crore considering each brand spending at least Rs. 10 crore for the event. However, big names like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mahindra, Renault, BMW, Yamaha, Hero MotoCorp, TVS, Kawasaki will participate in the event. Kia too will be there showing some India-bound models.

This is the first time since its debut in India, Volkswagen will not participate in Delhi Auto Expo. This means a total of eight brands from the VW group won’t be there. Commercial vehicle manufacturer like Ashok Leyland, MAN, Scania and Daimler too will skip the event.

Nissan X-trail hybrid

Also read: Expected Upcoming Cars at 2018 Auto Expo in India – 30+ Cars

The companies cite the reason of low return on investment from the event. Also, the venue of Greater Noida is not very close to Delhi, which has become a concern for the auto manufacturers. Some of the automakers are emphasising on engaging the target buyers through digital platforms instead of showcasing their products at the Delhi Auto Expo.