Auto Expo 2023: Who’s participating, who is not, & why!

Following a hiatus of three years due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Asia’s largest automotive event – the Auto Expo is set to make a comeback in January of 2023. The event this year will be held at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida U.P. from the 13th to the 18th of January. Participating automakers will be showcasing their vehicles at this venue, meanwhile, automotive components manufacturers will showcase their components from 12-15 January at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. A number of legacy automakers will be attending the event in January like always but, what will be strange this year is the exclusion of an even greater number of automakers from the event.

Yes, you heard it right! The 2023 Auto Expo will witness the absence of tons of big-name brands from the country. But first, let us start with the list of the manufacturers that will partake in the forthcoming event. The country’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is one of the biggest names that will be participating in the Auto Expo 2023. It will be followed by the South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor India and Kia India. Next up, Tata Motors will also be gracing the event with its presence.

Furthermore, the newest automaker from China – BYD (Build Your Dreams) will be present, along with another Chinese automaker MG Motor India. Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Lexus India, and Volvo India are also a few others that will participate in the 2023 Auto Expo. A ton of EV startups like Okinawa, and Tork Motors along with huge EV name brands like Hero Electric will also be partaking in the event.

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Now, as for the brands that will not be attending the 2023 Auto Expo the list begins with the name of one of the biggest automotive groups – the Skoda Auto-Volkswagen group. This group comprises of Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Moving further BMW, Citroen, Force Motors, Honda Cars India, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Mahindra and Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Renault, and Nissan will also be avoiding the 2023 Auto Expo. Major two-wheeler automakers like Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, and TVS will also not participate in the significant auto event.

After noting this extensive list of non-participants in the event you must be wondering why are all these manufacturers not partaking in such a huge event meant for their promotion right? Well, the answer is that according to top executives from a number of these brands, there is simply not a good ROI (Return on Investment) on their spending.

Recently while speaking to a media outlet an executive from one of these brands stated, that from a publicity standpoint the Expo is ‘not worth it’. He added, “I would rather spend that kind of money on doing a big event of my own at a nice location where people don’t have to drive 40 kilometres on a cold January morning.” Furthermore, a communications chief of a large two-wheeler manufacturer stated that “It is a car show, and we get lost in the media clutter,”

Other manufacturers, who wished to remain anonymous, recently discussed the situation of the automotive media in India, noting the growth of websites year after year and how the Auto Expo has shifted from being about quality to being more about quantity. At a large exhibition like this, automakers have a lot to show off, but due to a number of issues—including Greater Noida’s discomfort for both exhibitors and the media, the chilly weather in January, and declining publicity returns—Auto Expo 2023 is making news for all the wrong reasons.

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