A Well-organised Show:
THIS MONTH WE HAVE AN IN-DEPTH REPORT ON THE 13TH AUTO EXPO.
The last two exhibitions have been held at the India Expo Mart, Greater NOIDA, and the organisers have done a great job of organising the event, which made our job easier. Attending press conferences at the Auto Expo is a waste of time as all you end up seeing is the backs of the photographers who have no consideration for others whatever. The most well organised press conference was that by Honda Cars where a separate area had been earmarked for photographers, so that one did not end up admiring people’s backsides instead of seeing the car being unveiled.
A number of cars were unveiled at the Auto Expo, though a very few were actually launched. The first car to be unveiled was the Volkswagen Ameo on the 2nd of February, a day before the auto show. The Ameo is a good-looking car. It does not look as if somebody has chopped off the rear end of the Vento nor does it look as if a boot has been slapped on to the Polo. It has the same wheelbase as the Polo and they have caved out the front seats to increase the rear leg-room.
The second sub-four-metre vehicle unveiled was an SUV from Maruti, the Vitara Brezza. It is high time the government re-structured the Excise Duty on cars. Instead of the rate being determined on the basis of the size of the car, it should be done on the basis of tailpipe emissions and fuel effi ciency. This would encourage people to make proper cars instead of these sub-fourmetre loophole cars, besides bringing in better technology and cleaner engines.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
