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Venues for automotive expositions around the world are cold, dark places for most of the year. But for a week or two every year, or alternate year, the world trains its eyes on them. Then they attain character, become launch pads for illustrious machines, platforms to sign mega-dollar deals, a source for zillions of pixels and bucket-loads of ink, places where lithium-ion batteries freak and die.
And it differs from one country to another. The Detroit motor show flexes its American muscle in the freezing cold of January, Frankfurt dehydrates visitors in its September heat every alternate year with its allegmanic might, Paris focuses on everything beautiful and automotive, Geneva goes all out for passion and neutrality (no car makers in Switzerland, you see), and Tokyo becomes the capital of techno-weirdness. Those car makers who want to stand out choose the Los Angeles or New York motor shows to unveil their concepts and launch cars. Bologna and Shanghai are waking up to be exciting venues to remove satin from metal too. The Cobo centre at Detroit, Messe Frankfurt, Makuhari Messe at Tokyo — they are familiar hunting grounds for those in the circuit, and these are places where an old car on display is considered a criminal wastage of money, space and time. Can we take the name Pragati Maidan in the same breath, now that Auto Expo is getting bigger every other year? Not yet — to become the lore it still needs a sharper focus.
It was perfectly acceptable for firms like General Motors, Ford and Hyundai to come to India and test the waters a decade ago. They did well in bringing the mighty Corvettes, Mustangs and pretty ladies, in that order, to impress show-goer’s three expos back. But it is disconcerting to see the same stuff at this expo. GM brought down the million-dollar Sequel fuel-cell concept along with what Tokyo would have called “reference” models such as the Cadillac CTS and the Hummer H3, among others. Top execs in Hyundai would have thought it important to bring the Qarmaq soft-road coupe concept along with the Velostar sports car concept instead of another small car. Honda, though they played the hybrid and fuel cell card, made up by showing the Jazz small car.
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