Delhi Auto Expo: How Far It Has Come

With the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo fast approaching, the world's biggest car, bike, and commercial vehicle makers will be gearing up to showcase their upcoming offerings and futuristic concepts at Asia's largest motor show. Over time, the Auto Expo has grown from strength to strength and what started as a one-off show has now become a highly anticipated biennial event that attracts the world's biggest automotive players.

The idea of hosting an Indian Auto Expo was conceived in 1985 with 1986 seeing New Delhi host a first of its kind exhibition for all things automotive. The event was extremely successful and as a result, a decision was made to make it a repeat event. Here's a look at some of the Auto Expo's most important highlights over the years and what to expect from the upcoming event set to be held in February, 2016.

1985: Conception of the Delhi Auto Expo

In 1985, the idea of hosting an automotive exposition was conceived as a necessary tool for the Indian automotive industry to see and learn about modern engineering and new technologies developed by established players in the global automobile and component manufacturing industry.

1986: 1st Delhi Auto Expo

- The idea of India's first-ever Auto Expo finally came to fruition in January, 1986.

- The event was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA)

- The 9-day event took place in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and reportedly saw a footfall of over 500,000 visitors

- The dates of the event were timed to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of Karl Friedrich Benz' invention of the world's first self-powered automobile: the Benz Patent Motorwagen

- The event showcased 120 exhibitors

- Other crowd pullers included the Citroen 2CV, Honda Accord, Isuzu Gemini and Toyota Crown

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Compact SUV to be Revealed at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

1993: 2nd Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2nd Delhi Auto Expo took nearly 6 years to organize as the Indian automotive industry wasn't quite ready for a more frequent exhibition

- 7 foreign countries participated at the 1993 Auto Expo which was inaugurated by then Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh

- The theme of the expo was 'To Make the Future Happen' by sharing the industry's vision with vendors, sales and service networks, collaborators, and the government

- The 2nd exposition was even more successful than the first thanks to a thriving component industry and a rise in joint ventures which brought international technology to Indian shores

Also Read: 2016 Delhi Auto Expo: All-New BMW 7 Series to Launch in India

1996: 3rd Delhi Auto Expo

- The 3rd Delhi Auto Expo held in 1996 was one of great significance because it put India on the map as the world began to realize the potential of our growing automotive sector

- One of the show's main highlights was the EU-India Business Forum

- The event saw a huge rise in number of foreign exhibitors many of which saw India to be a lucrative future market

- It turned out to be an important year because the Auto Expo had become the preferred platform for big players like Hyundai, Daewoo, Ford, Honda, etc. to launch new products

1998: 4th Delhi Auto Expo

- 1998 was the year when the Delhi Auto Expo legitimately became one of the world's most important auto shows.

- It also happened to be the biggest Auto Expo in terms of exhibitors and delegations, and signified the beginning of a biennially recurring event

- The event saw a footfall of nearly 150,000 visitors per day

- The focus of the 1998 Auto Expo was on small cars which included the unveiling of production ready versions of the Hyundai Santro, Tata Indica and Daewoo Matiz

- Other popular cars that were on display include the Honda City, Tata Safari, Maruti Suzuki Zen, Daewoo Cielo, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Ikon, Skoda Felicia, and the Honda FCX Concept - Version 1

- The event also witnessed the first appearance of indigenous automotive design house, DC Design

2000: 5th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2000 Delhi Auto Expo witnessed the number of exhibitors crossing the 1000 mark for the first time

- 25 new vehicles were launched

- It was also the first Delhi Auto Expo to have a special environment-centric stage called the Green Pavillion

- 20 participating countries including exhibitors from China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, and USA among many others.

- The show saw close to a million visitors

Also Read: 2016 Delhi Auto Expo: Datsun GO-Cross Likely to Be Showcased

2002: 6th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2002 Delhi Auto Expo was focused on road safety and featured special pavilions for displaying safety and road engineering technologies. An alternate fuels pavilion was also present which brought focus to environmental issues

- Additionally, an Indo-American agreement between SIAM, DTC and the National Alternate Fuels Training Consortium of the United States was made to provide proper training to the Indian automotive industry on alternate fuel vehicles and systems

- The expo was visited by approximately 1.5 million people

- The pavilions that pulled the biggest crowds included those of Mercedes Benz and BMW which showcased the new 7-Series and the M-Class SUV respectively among a host of other eye-catching products

- The Fiat stall had something special in store and flew in Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2001 Formula 1 race car

Also Read: Jeep SUVs Set to Make India Debut at 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

2004: 7th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2004 Delhi Auto Expo hosted 840 Indian and 120 foreign companies

- The expo showcased the might of the Indian auto industry in the fields of environmental impact, safety, design, electronics, energy conservation among other next-gen technologies

- Some of the key manufacturers that showcased their products include Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Nissan, Skoda, Audi, Volkswagen (VW) and Daimler Chrysler

- One of the key displays included the Maruti Suzuki Concept S which was eventually mass produced under the Swift moniker

- The auto show also saw many repeat exhibitors increase their display area by as much as 100 per cent signifying the events increasing importance

Also Read: New Nissan X-Trail Set for Launch at 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

2006: 8th Delhi Auto Expo

- 2006 saw over 50 German companies joining the 1000 plus exhibitors at the Auto Expo

- The event was divided into differently themed pavilions like commercial vehicles, 2-wheelers, alternate fuels, design and styling, etc.

- It was also the first expo to showcase vehicle simulators

- The 2006 Delhi Auto Expo showcased exhibits from over 26 countries, attracted around a million visitors and brought in business worth Rs 540 crore

- The event was a huge success despite GM, Toyota, Hyundai and Daimler Chrysler opting to drop out

Also Read: More Than 40 Auto Makers to Participate at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

2008: 9th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 9th biennial Delhi Auto Expo saw a footfall of 1.8 million and generated Rs 20,000 crore worth of business

- 2000 exhibitors showed up including 65 manufacturers and more than 1,900 component manufacturers

- First expo to feature a pavilion dedicated to diesel technologies

- The most important car launched at the event was the Tata Nano

- Other cars that were showcased include the DC Ambierod, Chevrolet Captiva, Mercedes Benz C-Class, VW Up! Concept, Tata Xenon, Maruti Suzuki A-Star Concept, and Honda Jazz

- More than 31 new/facelifted models were launched including 4 global launches

Also Read: Honda BR-V Production Version Unveiled; To Be Showcased at 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

2010: 10th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2010 Silver Jubilee Delhi Auto Expo was attended by media representative from nearly 20 countries

- The expo featured over 2100 exhibitors spread across 125,00 square metres of floor space including 30 overseas participants

- 72 new vehicles were launched including 10 global launches

- Some of the most important cars that were displayed include the VW Polo, Tata Aria, Skoda Yeti, Chevrolet Beat, Toyota Etios, and Toyota Prius hybrid car

- Eye candy at the event included the Mercedes Benz GL-Class and Audi Q7 SUVs as well as the stunning Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Also Read: 2016 Delhi Auto Expo: VW Sub-Compact Sedan to Debut Next Year

2012: 11th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 11th edition of the Delhi Auto Expo saw the launch of 50 cars, 10 of which were international launches, and 20 two-wheelers

- The event confirmed that India was a big market for the future as a long list of concept vehicles were showcased

- The auto show hosted around 1500 participants from over 20 countries

- Some of the more popular concepts included the Jaguar C-X75 and C-X16 concepts, Audi A3 e-Tron, Volkswagen XL1, Tata Pixel, and the Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha

- Off the production cars showcased, some of the big performers included the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Beetle, Skoda Rapid, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Renault Duster, and the Ford EcoSport

- Some of the big two-wheeler brands that drew large crowds included Triumph and Ducati

- Also unveiled was India's first indigenous sports car called the DC Avanti

2014: 12th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 2014 Auto Expo was shifted from Pragati Maidan to the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida

- Despite the change in location, the expo saw a footfall of over 560,000 visitors

- It hosted 105 stalls of which 47 were overseas manufacturers

- Some of the most eye catching displays were those of the Honda Vision XS-1, BMW i8, Acura NSX, Datsun Redi-GO, Volkswagen Taigun, and Renault Kwid Concept

- The event also saw a huge list of two-wheelers like the TVS Draken concept, 2014 Moto Guzzi, and the Yamaha YZF-R15 in addition to the Indian introduction of Italian bike firm, Aprilia

Also Read: Spec Comparison: Toyota Innova 2016 vs the Current Model

2016: 13th Delhi Auto Expo

- The 13th Delhi Auto Expo will be held at its new venue in Greater Noida between 5-9 February, 2016

- Some of the most eagerly awaited arrivals include the Jaguar XE entry level sedan, Maruti Suzuki Ignis micro-SUV, new Skoda Superb, new Honda Accord, new Nissan X-Trail, and Tata Hexa among many others

- Jeep, Bentley, Maserati, and Aston Martin are also expected to feature at the 2016 Auto Expo

- Besides the cars mentioned above, some of the most important unveilings will include the Volkswagen's sub-4 metre Compact Sedan based on the Polo, Honda BR-V compact-SUV which will compete in the red-hot compact SUV segment against the likes of the Renault Duster and Hyundai Creta, and the new Toyota Innova