Seventy cars and bikes launched but, Auto Expo lacks fizz this year

Seventy cars and bikes were launched at the 12th Auto Expo in Greater Noida on Wednesday but the usual glamour quotient associated with the expo in previous years was missing.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra unveiling the long wheelbase Range Rover and Formula 1 racer Narain Karthikeyan unveiling Jaguar's iconic F-Type coupe were the exceptions. Few of the other models unveiled during the day were head turners.

"We have consciously decided not to showcase vehicles that we plan to launch after a lag of a few months," said Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra & Mahindra, on the sidelines of the expo.

#AutoExpo2014 in pics: Bikes get leaner and meaner

A senior executive at a multinational carmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted that the economic slowdown and the resultant sluggishness in automobile sales had dampened the sentiment.

Most automakers focused on bread and butter models. Market leader Maruti Suzuki unveiled the Concept Ciaz, an entry-level sedan for countries such as India and China, and the SX4 S-Cross, a crossover.

#AutoExpo2014 in pics: Cars on display

"Honda is targeting sales of 300,000 units annually in India by 2016-17. We will back this up by launching new products and technologies to serve our customers here," said Takanobu Ito, president & CEO, Honda Motor Company.

Honda unveiled its mid-size multi-purpose vehicle Honda Mobilio and the third generation Honda Jazz.

#AutoExpo2014 in pics:
• Motoring heaven!
• Driving into the future

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra poses with Jaguar Land Rover's Range Rover LWB during its launch at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida. (Reuters Photo)

Video courtesy: Autocar India