The US $6 billion Group Mahindra & Mahindra announced the appointment of Arun Malhotra as Senior Vice-President, Sales & Channel Development, Automotive Sector, where he will be responsible for sales operations, channel development, sales support, sales training and a host of other functions. 

Malhotra is an M.B.A graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kolkata, and has close to 25 years of experience in the automobile industry. Prior to joining Mahindra & Mahindra, he spent 10 years with Maruti Udyog. His last stint at Maruti was as the Chief General Manager (Sales) and was responsible for the sale of Maruti vehicles all across the country. Malhotra has also worked for other organisations such as Escorts and Bajaj Auto. 

M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. Forbes has ranked the Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World’s Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies. Mahindra has recently been honoured with the Bombay Chamber Good Corporate Citizen Award for 2006-07..

Patel Integrated Logistics, part of the Patel Group, has entered into a tie-up with Eicher for its fleet expansion/acquisition for itself as well as its vendors from whom Patel Integrated Logistics (PILL) outsourced its transportation requirements. PILL was formed in 2006 with the amalgamation of the listed Patel Roadways and Patel On-Board Couriers. PILL is a logistics firm that provides unified solutions through door-to-door express cargo service, surface transport, air and sea transportation as well as offering services in warehousing and secondary distribution.

If you think the “people’s car”, the electric bikes, the hybrid cars were the answer to your prayer to get off of that bus and get into your own vehicle then rethink. The 9th Auto Expo 2008 showcases a range of buses, which are intelligent, innovative, comfortable, economic and safe. Ashok Leyland, Swaraj Mazda, Tata Motors, Volvo, Force Motors aim to revolutionise buses so people can re-evaluate their options on public mode of transportation. 

With Ashok Leyland’s iBUS exhibited in Hall No.2, Pragati Maidan, one can now choose between travelling ‘executive’ or ‘economy’ class in the same bus. And if that is not enough, ibus has wireless Internet on the move for the first time in a bus. Its other features are electronics-enabled ‘workplace’, complete with digital display of all ‘diagnostic’ information, rear camera video display, executive class passengers get a state-of-the-art hat rack complete with LCD wide screens (for infotainment), individual AC controls, Electrically Controlled Air Suspension (ECAS) that kneels down for effortless boarding and alighting, 220 V adapters and laptop holders, electronic levelling system to accommodate with the inconsistent Indian infrastructure, smart card based ticket wending machine. In terms of safety, the bus has disc brakes with ABS, which ensures higher braking efficiency, rear collision warning system, doors with obstacle sensing system. 

Swaraj Mazda, is now moving from standard to luxury buses. Its Swaraj Prestige powered by Isuzu is a 41+1-seater. It gives a better average, has air suspension and engine 7 forward gears, is fully air-conditioned and an LCD wide screen. It was launched about 3-4 months back and is in production. Besides this, other buses that are showcased opposite hall no. 6 are Swaraj Premier and Swaraj Executive. 

Tata Motors – India's largest passenger automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturing company – also showcases its 28-seater Tata Marcopolo bus and air-conditioned Tata Marcopolo Low Entry Bus. Tata Marcopolo Motors Limited (TMML) is a joint venture between Tata Motors and Marcopolo. The first landmark in TMML’s BRTS is the sale of 525 ultra-modern, air-conditioned, low entry Starbus CNG buses to the Delhi Transport Corporation, in 2007. This bus is a combination of coolride, safety-on-wheels, passenger-friendly and comfort inside out. Travelling by buses won’t be a train wreck anymore. 

Volvo City Bus 8700, which was launched in February 2006, is running in Banglore, Chennai, Pune and Mysore. It is a low floor, fully AC bus. It is meant for day to day travelling in cities. The aim is to provide people with a public mode of transportation which is safe, economic, comfortable and makes them chose a bus over a two wheeler, a three wheeler or a car. This bus runs on diesel and cost nearly Rs 77 lakhs. 

If issues of pollution, global warming, environment, traffic have to be addressed, the public mode of transportation needs to step up and provide facilities that people need and want. With the advancements in technology propelling them in that direction, these buses are trying to do just that. This auto expo is certainly not just about the people’s car, it’s about the people who are the customers and their needs are the guiding forces behind these developments.

For the first time at the Auto Expo, Garage Equipments have a special pavilion at Hall 1D, Hanger-1. And this has attracted a lot of attention from auto enthusiasts visiting the Expo who are checking out the latest service equipments and technologies in the equipment sector. 

Currently, the garage equipment market is valued at Rs 400 crore including the two-wheeler segment, and is expected to grow at 15% growth year-on-year for the next 5 years. 

Leading players in the garage equipment segment are optimistic in achieving over 15 percent growth keeping into account the surge in demand for sophisticated garage equipments by dealers both in commercial and passengers segment. 

The booming automotive sector in the country is also translating a burgeoning network of service centres for the millions of wheels on the roads. To meet the enormous automotive industry growth in India where variety of new passenger cars, bikes are being launched, the garage industry would also witness an exponential growth in the coming years. 

“The garage equipment industry is growing with the rise in automotive industry and with the two wheeler segment boom, its just getting better” says Mr Kalaichelvan, Joint Managing Director, Manatec – a manufacturer of automotive garage equipments based in Puducherry. 

Garage Equipment segment is well represented at the Auto Expo. Manatec displayed a range of wheel aligner, wheel balancers, auto tyre changer, heavy vehicle tyre changer, two post lifts, collision repair system, paint spray booth, etc. Adjacent to Manatec, ATS Elgi had on view a bright display of garage equipment. While giving demo of a new two post lift, Elgi put on display crash repair system, lifts, wash systems, tyre inflator, tyre changer, tools, etc. Newturn Auto Tech Pvt. Ltd and ACE Car tech Pvt. Ltd too showed its range of equipments from AC servicing equipments to crash body repairing system. Car-o-Liner, Chicago Pneumatics, Precision Testing, all displayed an impressive range of garage products. 

Mr Avjit Ghosh, Vice President (Marketing) – Star Alliance is optimistic on the growth of the garage equipment market. New Turn Autotech Pvt Ltd, the company he represents produces a wide range of garage equipments ranging from body shop equipments, test lane bench and a range of auto scanners, etc. 

ATS Elgi Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Elgi Equipments Limited – a major business conglomerate based Coimbatore – India has two new products on display, nitrogen tyre inflator and the two post lift for passenger cars and vans. 

It is estimated that the average spend on economy cars maintenance in India is valued at about 20 per cent of the vehicle value per year for the first five years. And with the increase in demand and usage of sophisticated equipments this is bound to rise another 5-6%, which would further drive the growth of the garage equipments market.

The 9th Auto Expo 2008 not only demonstrates the innovation and technological prowess of the global automotive majors, but also brings to the fore the huge business opportunity in car accessories/decoration and related products. 

The car accessories and decor pavilion at the 9th Auto Expo 2008 was flooded with auto enthusiasts in checking out the latest gadgets to adorn their vehicles, ranging from car radios, musical systems to lighting accessories, safety and security systems and upholstery. 

Currently, the car accessories market is estimated at Rs 1200 crore, which is expected to double by 2010 witnessing around 25% growth year-on-year. 

Leading players in the car accessories segment are optimistic in achieving a 20-25 percent growth keeping into account the surge in demand for sophisticated accessories by car owners. The entertainment and infotainment (head units, speakers, amplifiers, sub-woofers etc) are the biggest revenue earners for players in the segment, which are being much sought after by the car enthusiasts. 

"The big challenge for the players in the car accessories segment is the mushrooming of industries in the unorganised sector, which accounts for nearly 60% of the car accessories market," asserts Mr Subhas Singhal, Partner, Elegant Auto Accessories, a manufacturer of car seat covers and other accessories participating at the Auto Expo 2008. 

Mr Singhal hoped that the entry of major players in the organized retail business such as; Reliance Retail, Aditya Birla Retail and Pantaloon would drive the accessories market by catering to large number of premium consumers who would prefer products that meet international quality and safety standards. 

Mr Kapil Sehgal, Regional manager, Silicon Autoproducts Pte Ltd, a Singapore based company, who have started operations in India recently, is optimistic on the growth of the car accessories market. The company produces a wide range of electronics accessories such as; alarm systems; musical systems, electronic locking systems, immobilsers, etc. 

"Slew of new passenger car models being launched globally and India being one of the major hub for manufacturing of small cars, the Indian car accessories market is all set to witness an exponential growth," Mr Sehgal added. 

It is estimated that people general spend 3-4 per cent of the car value on accessories. Though accessories such as music systems, central locking, leather upholstery, paint protection systems, mobile chargers and alloy wheels have become the order of the day, GPS navigation systems, multimedia systems and car PCs are gaining popularity, which would further drive the growth of the car accessories' market.

Automotive sector beckons a great opportunity in enhancing the mutual trade between India and Germany and this was made evident by the presence of over 70 German companies in German Pavilion at the 9th Auto Expo. 

Participating for the second time at the Auto Expo, the ninth edition in a row, the Managing Director of German Association of Automotive Industry (VDA), Mr Achim Rauber expressed how impressed they are by the incredible economic dynamism in India and showed their optimism in opportunities awaiting for both the countries in the automotive sector. 

For instance India exported cars worth 25 million euros in the first three quarters of the year 2007 alone and the supply industry in India had increased its exports to Germany by 20% in the first nine months of the year 2007, taking them up to 140 million euros. Also the number of German brand cars exported to India in 2007 doubled compared with the year before and with a sales worth of 154 million euros, German suppliers were able to increase their exports to India by more than half in the first nine months of 2007 compared with the same period a year before. 

The highlight of international participation at Auto Expo this year was the participation of over 70 companies from Germany, which is the largest ever representation from Germany at Auto Expo. 

Apart form the very well known companies like Bosch which was started 80 years ago, Mercedes 50 years ago, Skoda and Volkswagen who have presence in India for many years now; there other exhibitors participating includes large companies like ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Schaeffler Group (LUK, INA, FAG) or Pierburg and medium-sized companies like Eberspacher GmbH & Co KG, Emitec GmBH, Hammerstein, Linnig Antriebstechnik GmBH and Whitzenmann GmBH. Others in the component manufacturing include Bayer group, EDAG engineering and Design, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co, Liqui Moly GmBH, Mahle, Mann and Hummel Filter Pvt Ltd, Osram India Pvt. Ltd. 

A spokesperson from Pierburg said that they have their presence in India since a decade and are currently exporting items like oil, water and vacuum pumps and are planning to export radiators by the next year. For Linning Antriebstechnik GmBH, a medium sized company, India has always been a market with huge potential and they have also received great response from the 9th Auto Expo.

Among the gamut of foreign exhibitors, this year for the first time a strong delegation of 10 Malaysian companies is exhibiting their products and technologies at the 9th Auto Expo 2008. Avana Technologies (M) SDN BHD, Filton Industries SDN BHD, Hardex Corporation SDN BHD, Kumpulan Jebco (M) SDN BHD, NJ Manufacturing Industries SDN BHD, Proreka (M) SDN BHD, BT Automotive Systems SDN BHD, etc., to name a few, are manufacturers engaged in the production of automotive parts and accessories who are displaying their products at Pragati Maidan. 

"Business deals, networking, and building relations through joint ventures are our expectations and objective in Auto Expo 2008," said Mr Mohd Feisal Ezuan Abdul Aziz, Assistant Manager – Product and Services Development Division, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) which was reiterated by The Malaysian Automotive Component Parts Manufacturers (MACPMA). The Indian market is huge and it's potential is being recognized all over the world and hence new players want to enter and exploit the opportunities. "We hope to explore the Indian market with our technology," commented Mr Aziz. 

Avana Technologies, a Malaysian exhibitor, is primarily engaged in product design and development for car accessories. Their latest products are the 9"overhead TFT LCD DVD player with USB port and SD/MMC card slot which enables customers to watch movies using pen drives. 

Another newly launched product is the 7"TFT LCD rear mirror with Bluetooth Cmos Indicator Camera. These products are designed to facilitate the demands and evolving needs of the clients by exploiting niches in the automotive accessories business world. 

Filton Industries, a 30-year-old Malaysian company, exhibiting in Auto Expo 2008, specialises in automobile filter products. Their latest product – fuel filter – which was recently launched, is used in Toyota Innova. Besides filters, they also manufacture air oil separators and hydraulic filters. 

Hardex Corporation, a company that specializes in automotive chemical products and automotive maintenance products, has a whole range of products from professional adhesive and automotive chemical products to adhesive and silicone products. It is an 8-year-old company, which aims to specialize and grow its business further. 

Kumpulan Jebco, another Malaysian exhibitor, deals mainly with rubber and specializes in anti vibration products. Its dynamic damper has the uniqueness of resonance frequency, which is one step ahead in anti vibration solution for automobiles. 

Proreka, specialises in styling and modification, engineering design and data, prototype modelling, OEM products and secondary processes. Its newly launched body kit is currently used in Hyundai Verna. It is an eight-year-old company, which is increasingly involved in supplying complete automotive systems and modules, from initial concept deliberations to final product manufacturing. 

B T Automotive System's latest technology uses natural gas besides petrol and diesel in the same engine. This company is into manufacturing of automotive switches, engine management system and duel fuel system.