Concept cars, new models bolster optimism as auto show starts

India's car makers and their global rivals put on a bold display of optimism and lined up a range of concept cars and new models to kick off the 12th Auto Expo as they sought to put a year of sluggish sales behind them.
Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India were among auto companies that put forward their new offerings at India's flagship automobile show in the hope that demand will revive and help lift the industry from a prolonged slump.
Seventy new unveilings, including 26 global models, are scheduled during the expo, organised jointly by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).

However, announcements of investments in new plants were fewer.
Maruti Suzuki, India's biggest car maker, unveiled two concept models today -- the Ciaz sedan and the crossover SX4 S-Cross -- to meet growing demand for sedans in India, China and elsewhere.
"Our effort is to achieve sales of last (financial) year in this year," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kenichi Ayukawa said, acknowledging the slowdown in the market. The company sold 10.6 lakh vehicles in 2012-13.

Hyundai Motor India, the second-largest car maker in the country, expanded its product portfolio with the launch of a new generation sports utility vehicle, Sante Fe, priced at between Rs 26.3 lakh and Rs 29.2 lakh in New Delhi.

Yesterday, the South Korean company had unveiled the Xcent, its first compact sedan in India, which will be available from next month.
For the first time, the event has been split due to space constraints, with the motor show at Greater Noida and the auto components exhibition at Pragati Maidan in the capital.