Haryana could host the next Auto Expo in 2012. The lack of sufficient space and the deteriorating condition of Pragati Maidan has forced the organisers of the expo to look out for an alternate site for the next motoring extravaganza and Haryana could emerge as the most suitable state, courtesy its proximity to the country?s capital and the speedy expansion of metro, in and around the state.
?The infrastructure at Pragati Maidan is not enough to support events of this scale and whatever we have that is in deplorable situation. Therefore, we need to move extremely quickly to have an expo centre that is big enough to accommodate such a huge number of visitors and is well connected by the metro,? Jayant Davar, vice-president, Automotive Component Manufacturers? Association said.
?We have approached the Haryana government and have asked them to seriously consider the proposal and are simultaneously in talks with states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh with options like the expo centre at Greater Noida and Hyderabad, though these would also be small, considering that the event will only grow further as the Indian automobile industry expands.?
According to an industry expert, there has been an investment of nearly Rs 350-400 crore in the auto expo this time and the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) made a profit of Rs 50-60 crore.
?ITPO needs to provide us the required infrastructure to justify the kind of profit it draws from an event like this,? he said, adding that such poor shows spoil the image of India at the global front at a time when the country is becoming an auto hub.
The seven-day Auto Expo, which drew to a close on Monday, had over 2 million visitors, higher than the earlier estimate of 1.8 million, same as the Auto Expo in 2008, despite the absence of Nano. However, customer sentiments were hit when companies like Honda and Toyota had to cancel their weekend shows to avoid any kind of mishaps. The global economic gloom notwithstanding, the show saw more new launches than any other previous edition with international firms taking the lead and a total of 25 new models being unveiled this time. ?Despite the fact that the global auto industry had seen the worst of recession in the recent past, there was a surge in business delegations and we saw over 100 of them this time as compared to 80 in the last auto expo two year back,? Davar added.