EVs in driver's seat as Auto Expo returns

A record 30 pure electric vehicle (EV) makers will showcase their products when India's marquee automotive show returns next month after a gap of three years, even as some established carmakers including Mahindra & Mahindra, Skoda-Volkswagen and Renault-Nissan have decided to stay away.

Legacy players such as Tata Motors, Hyundai and MG Motor, too, are slated to showcase their range of electric models at the 16th Edition of the India Motor Show, mirroring the increased push of world leaders for green mobility solutions amid growing clamour over environmental concerns.

In the two-wheeler segment, the top five players - Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), TVS Motor Company, Bajaj Auto, and Suzuki Motorcycle India - will showcase flex-fuel options, slated to go into commercial production in 2024.


"Auto Expo 2023 is providing a platform to companies to showcase advancements in new generation electrified technologies and to consumers who can experience how the automobile industry has geared up for transformation of mobility that would be carbon benign, safe and connected," said Rajesh Menon, director general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), one of the organisers.

EVs Priced Below ₹15 lakh
The likes of Tata Motors, Hyundai Motor India and MG Motor are slated to showcase several electric models priced below Rs 15 lakh, targeting consumers in the mainstream market to help scale up EV adoption in the country.

The expo will also provide a single platform for different stakeholders, including startups and technology firms, to push their latest innovations and connect with policymakers, consumers as well as media, experts said.

"The disruption in the automotive landscape due to the emergence of connected, electric, shared and autonomous technologies is resulting in increased collaborations between legacy companies, tech firms, and startups," said V G Ramakrishnan, managing partner of Avanteum Advisors, a strategy consultancy with focus on auto, logistics and transportation sectors. "There is a huge convergence happening (between automobile, tech and consumer electronics industries) and this change is reflecting in the participation at expos, globally," he added.

To be sure, there is a growing engagement between startups innovating on futuristic technologies and vehicle companies keen on making use of these technologies globally. In fact, many automobile companies participate in the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Pure EV makers who will exhibit their products and technology at the Auto Expo starting on January 11 in Greater Noida include China's BYD, Pravaig Dynamics, Greaves Cotton (which makes two-wheelers under the brand Ampere), Omega Seiki, Okinawa Autotech, Hero Eco Tech, Wardwizard Innovations & Mobility, and LML Emotions.

Given the increased participation from pure EV manufacturers, many of them startups, the total number of exhibiting companies is set to go up to around 70, from 55 in 2020 when the show took place last time, in February, just before the Covid-19 outbreak.