The 2016 Auto Expo witnessed a total of over 6 lakh visitors as the event came to a successful conclusion on Tuesday, with around 95,000 attending the final day.
The exposition was quite the blockbuster thanks to the plethora of cars, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles, etc. on show, and was complemented by a host of celebrities, automobile industry award functions, and loads of other events. In fact, the biennial event witnessed a record 1.3 lakh visitors on Sunday, February 7 - the highest number ever recorded in one day at the show.
Jointly organised by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), this edition of the Auto Expo was held at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida and was open to the public from February 5-9. It had 65 manufacturers from across the globe exhibiting their products.
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Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM, said, "We believe the Auto Expo has successfully evolved from being just another exhibition of vehicles to a showcase of Indian manufacturing strength and technological capabilities. With over 108 new products being launched and unveiled and over 6,01,914 footfalls received over the last 1 week, we believe this expo will strengthen the belief of our manufacturers in the Indian automotive industry.
"We would like to thank all those who visited the expo as well as all our exhibitors, partners, and the media. They are the ones who have made this show a success and helped us reach the desired level of excellence," he added.
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The exclusive media days on February 3 and 4 saw launches, unveils, concepts showcased, etc. and also saw participation from the glamour world. Over the course of the entire event, Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Alia Bhatt, Taapsee Pannu, John Abraham, etc. gave the Auto Expo a whole lot of pizzazz.
Akshay Kumar at the Honda pavilion
The cricketing fraternity too was represented well in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, Piyush Chawla, and Mohinder Amarnath. Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha was also a part of the event.
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Anant Geete, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, along with Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, officially inaugurated the 2016 Auto Expo on February 4 and then announced the show open.
Besides the new, upcoming, and concept variants of automobiles on display, visitors were also treated to a variety of entertaining acts, stunt shows, superbike shows, street plays, puppet shows, lucky draws, laser shows, etc., with some of them focusing on the importance of road safety. Individual pavilions also provided entertainment in the form of video games, virtual reality simulators, and racing simulation games.
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Apart from the premium car stalls, the alternative fuel vehicles spread across various pavilions also received quite a bit of attention from visitors. Sections on vintage cars, automobilia, and the Bollywood zone became must-see areas for auto enthusiasts as well.
The merchandise stalls, which sold souvenirs like mugs, back-packs, hats, T-shirts, etc. did brisk business, while the food courts too remained packed throughout.
Despite the immense crowd, ample security and staff ensured that the traffic and pedestrian flow remained relatively smooth for an operation of this size. Parking was convenient and shuttle services were provided for those parked far away. Mobility cart services were also provided within the India Expo Mart compound, making it easier for the elderly or the disabled to get around.
The 2016 Auto Expo wasn't just a success on the ground. It was quite a hit online and on social media as well. The official website had more than 1 crore visitors from February 3-9, while the Auto Expo was trending on Facebook and Twitter on all 7 days of the event. Its Facebook page garnered more than 1.5 lakh likes and the expo's Twitter handle gained over 10,000 followers.
The impressive response to the event indicates the rapid progress that the auto industry is making in India and might just be a precursor to the good times ahead for automobile manufacturers in the country.
In addition, the component show of the 2016 Auto Expo, which was held at Pragati Maidan in Delhi from February 4-7, witnessed an overall footfall of 1,14,000.
