Delhi Auto Expo ends; next edition may move out of Pragati Maidan

New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) Curtains came down on the 11th Auto Expo today, with organisers mulling to move the next edition of the biennial trade show out of the Pragati Maidan exhibition grounds here to a more spacious 'world-class' location so that it can become the largest in the world. The organisers -- the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -- are also mulling over hosting the next Indian auto show from February 5 to12 in 2014. Traditionally, the exposition has been held in the beginning of January. "This time, we witnessed about 7,00,000 people visiting the Auto Expo, that included the exhibitors. We had to cut the number of people due to security and infrastructure issues," Auto Expo 2012 Steering Committee Chairman Rajive Kaul told reporters here. The organisers had decided to restrict the number of people present inside the venue to 100,000 daily, including 30,000 people from the exhibitors' side. With over two million visitors at the 2010 Auto Expo, the organisers had claimed that the Delhi auto show was the second-largest after the Shanghai auto show. Kaul said the organising committee is exploring alternative locations to hold the next expo, which will offer better infrastructure to the exhibitors as well as public. On holding the show for the first time in February, Kaul said: "We want to organise it in sync with global shows like Detroit. So we are fixing the dates according to the international calendar." As many as 1,500 exhibitors and 50 global brands from 24 countries participated the show, which witnessed 58 new launches, including the much-awaited Mini, and the unveiling of nine concept and 12 green vehicles. However, it was not a smooth ride all along as many business leaders, including Anand Mahindra, criticised the poor crowd management at the show, saying the week-long event was a "serious business" and not just a "tamasha". Elaborating on the future venue, ACMA President Arvind Kapur told PTI: "We are seriously looking at 2-3 options such as Gurgaon, Noida and a location near the international airport (all India's national capital region). Accordingly, the style of the show will also be different." "This Auto Expo is the second-largest in the world. We could have been the largest, but we had constraints of space and infrastructure. We, in fact, cut the space this time," Kapur said. The Delhi Auto Expo can grow twice the rate in size and participants if it gets space and proper infrastructure, he added. The latest edition of the exhibition was spread across 115,000 square metres of space, compared to 125,000 square metres in 2010. Over 100 firms from across the globe were denied permission to participate in the event due to space limitations. The 11th Auto Expo saw Netherlands-based commercial vehicles-maker Paccar, UK motorcycle brand Triumph and US off-road vehicle and bike-maker Polaris Industries showcasing their products here for the first time. PTI