For the first time in South Karnataka the biggest Automobile, Auto Accessories and Auto Finance Expo. No upcoming cars were highlighted, The event was just like a display of cars available in market. It wasn’t International by any standards, only a few of the foreign brands like Land Rover, BMW and VW had participated. The show was organized by Manipal-Ace Event Mangement Co. This is a first coverage of bharathautos.com at Auto Expo.
The crowd was beginning to set in as I departed from the show. Two main reasons which I think are accountable for that- First Time in Mangalore Land Rover and BMW Brand were on display. The newly launched Maruti SX4 Diesel and Chevy Beat LPG were also a part of this event.
Among bike attractions was the Yamaha stall with their Fazer, Honda’s with their CB Twister and Mahindra 2 wheelers showcased complete range of their Scooters. Reasons mysterious, but TVS, Hero-Honda and Bajaj were missing. The Maruti Suzuki had two stalls, which showcased Eeco and SX4 Diesel version, and the Tata had showcased the recently launched Manza Elan.
At Toyota‘s space, I inspected the New Etios. It was the first moment I got to have a one-on-one experience with it. The front seats are very cosy, better than the Swift Dzire I can approve. Toyota Etios does have some plus points when compared to Swift Dzire, Like the Toyota Quality, good and refined engine etc. But the Dzire is not far away it has its own Pros as well like the Maruti Trust and Service, The more fuel efficient engine. Yes the Etios is a worthy competition for Dzire but only time will tell how worthy it really is. The yellow-coloured VW Beetle was an eye-catcher at an Expo.
The Skoda stand contained the Fabia, Laura, Yeti and Superb. The Skoda salesman has tendered the BA team some private time with the Yeti. We’ll bring you a comprehensive test drive report in a short while. So stay tuned.
BMW had an unaccompanied 525d on display. Would have been rousing if any one of the Mercedes AMG models were presented. The representative at the Land Rover stall wasn’t very courteous and refused to answer questions related to their cars. He thought of himself as Lewis Hamilton, I think. However, his pot belly was one among the many things which proved he’s just a sex-stricken average guy trying to show off.
Hyundai too had a lone car, but it was a spectacular one. The i20 in crystal white looked smashing. I loved the twin-creased bonnet- It resembles the Mercedes SLK. It’s got this wrinkled portion above the rear wheel arch that characterizes this car. The crease that darts along the doors is firm and the look and feel of the car’s interiors is several notches ahead of the Swift or the Indica Vista.
To my surprise, the cool dudes from Manipal Institute of Technology had displayed their FM XI (Formula Manipal 2010) car. The guys have a terrific car- The design is good, the suspension is also fantastic. They have participated with this car at Austria circuit (Aug 2010) against 28-odd other teams. The young-team of 25 students has won two awards last year, Fourth prize in Cost event and best motivated team award (More details will be added soon).
Other stall at the Expo especially Bosch Power Tools made me aware of new Automobile products made available in the market like Bosch Aquatak 100Plus (High Pressure Washer), Bosch Skil (Sander Polisher) and many new products made available recently in market. The economical Eco-friendly auto fuel LPG stall at Expo catch the attention of lot of viewers as they displayed LPG Kit installed Honda Activa. As LPG is currently the most readily available alternative fuel in India.
I visited the show on the 2nd time sameday. To my surprise, there were some more new cars added. It was weird to watch a body massager stall at Mangalore Auto Expo I really din’t get wat relation it had with Expo, This was funniest part watch.
Pictures of Mangalore Auto Expo 2011-
