Ramesh Ramakrishnan, Group Manager, Marketing at KPIT Cummins gives us an insight into this year’s Delhi Auto Expo.

There are tradeshows, and then there are tradeshows... and if those aren’t enough, then there is the Auto Expo! We just got back from it, and boy, is it an event! With multiple vehicle unveilings and launches every day, and press conferences being held every 20 minutes, it truly is an experience in itself. But, I’m probably getting ahead of myself here. Allow me to track back.

This year, KPIT Cummins had the largest booth in the Design pavilion at Auto Expo. The focus of the booth was two-fold. In the front half, we showcased Revolo – the hybrid solution for everyone, jointly being developed by KPIT Cummins and Bharat Forge; while in the latter half of the booth focused on key strengths of KPIT Cummins’ automotive practice.

The work on the actual booth started a mere 20 days prior to the event - what with emails literally flying across the network and decisions being made in record time! The theme of the event was mobility for all, and Revolo fit perfectly with that. Given the frugal innovation, the time taken to retrofit the solution and the results – 35%+ fuel efficiency improvements, 25%+ reduction in travel costs and 30%+ emission reduction; the subject was spot on!

Our theme for our automotive solutions was “Connecting Possibilities, Driving Innovation”.

We had five demos in the booth.

• The first of these, the Smart Vehicle Platform, has been in use for over 6 years, and we’ve carried out over 1000 installations across India
• The second demo was centered on our new GENIVI compliant infotainment platform
• The third demo was around the battery management system that provided real-time statistics of the condition and health of the various cells in a vehicle battery
• And two vision systems demos - video stabilization and driver alertness demos in the advanced driver assistance system domain

While this was about the demos, the front half of the booth, had two vehicles, a Maruti Alto and a Tata 207, displayed on angular ramps showcasing the Revolo system. There was a lot happening at some of the other booths around too.

Some of the most creative and innovative booths were the Mercedes, BMW, Mahindra and Harley Davidson ones. The GM booth had a vintage classic on display, the paint job for which was spectacular.

Volkswagen had an interesting idea. In line with the Think Blue campaign, at the Delhi airport they had displayed a vehicle in the shape of a Beetle, completely made out of scrap, and junk. Harley-Davidson launched two new bikes, and the booth design was iconic of the good old American workhorse era.

Both Mini Cooper and Hero Motors had their vehicles suspended in air, perpendicular to the surface of the wall, and in the case of Hero, the wall was a giant LED screen that had various animations running across it. Renault too had an interesting concept car in their booth called the Dezir. Completely fluid all around, it was a treat for the eyes.

	Mahindra & Mahindra had some augmented reality show around their recently launched XUV 500. But the drool factor apart, it was interesting to see the focus that more and more car manufacturers are placing on green, and this was clearly visible thanks to the launches of several green two and four wheelers. More information about the hybrids at the event can be seen here.
All in all, the event was quite power-packed and saw a lot of people. While the statistics are yet to come, the last event, which was held in 2010, saw about 1.2 million visitors and over 2400 stalls!
Clearly, these are exciting times for all of us involved in the automotive sector in India!