Bigger and better than Big Apple

Organisers say the 10th Auto Expo attracted more visitors than the one held at New York

Organisers say the 10th Auto Expo attracted more visitors than the one held at New York

The 10th Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan came to an end on Monday. But as the final curtains went down, auto manufacturers were left smiling.

Bada hai to behtar hai: A large crowd attended the 10th Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. PIC/Rajeev Tyagi

Big, bigger, biggest

About 72 vehicle launches and more than 10 global initiatives made the show as big as the ones held at Shanghai and Tokyo. The seven-day show attracted close to 14 lakh visitors, with an average of 2 lakh visitors a day. The last Shanghai Auto show saw 6 lakh guests.

According to the organisers, Auto Expo 2010 also emerged as among the largest automobile shows, even surpassing the more popular one organised in New York.

Green drive

The Expo not only gave us new cars and attracted a large crowd but also promoted the concept of responsibility towards nature.

Clean and green was clearly the flavour of the event where hybrids and battery-powered vehicles were showcased in equal measure along with those that run on conventional fuels. Almost all car majors showcased their electric and hybrid models. At the Hyundai Motors pavilion, children loved the unique Safety Zone, whichu00a0 tried to inculcate safe-driving habits in school-going kids.

Star power

The Expo had another unique feature: the highest footfall of celebrity endorsers. From Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham, to cricket icon Saurav Ganguly and Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi, all of them became crowd-pullers at the motor extravaganza.

Auto rewind

The 9th Auto Expo held at Pragati Maidan in January 2008 attracted about 1.8 million visitors and generated business enquires worth about Rs 20,000 crore. While only 105 companies attended the first edition of the Auto Expo held in 1986, around 2,105 companies, including 800 overseas firms, came for Asia's largest auto show this year.

For the people

The Auto Expo 2010 attracted 1.5 million visitors, while the last New York show drew 1.2 million people. The expo got the largest number of visitors on Sunday (second last day of the show), which was at least 2.2 lakh.