Confederation of Indian industry (CII) had conducted a three day exhibition called Auto Serve 2012 in Chennai between 16th to 18th of November.
[Auto Serve saw participation of over 100 exhibitors mainly from automotive aftermarket sector]
The Auto Serve laid emphasis on automotive aftermarket and service domains. According to CII the automotive aftermarket is set to grow at a rate of 10% per year owing to the increasing population of cars and shift in the mix of vehicles towards high end variants.
In his keynote address, Mr. Marc Nassif, Country head and Managing Director of Renault India said, " India is one of the important markets when it comes to automobile. Indian market has tremendous scope and potential for the automobile industry and has witnessed stupendous growth in last couple of years."
[Leyland Deere 435 Backhoe Loader and genuine Askhok Leyland spare parts]
The exhibition saw over 100 participants from across the country including Ashok Leyland, Leyland Deere, Wabco India, MyTVS, Renault, Bosch, Gulf and aftermarket service equipment manufacturers like RTC Kay Kay, Celette, AAM automotive etc.
Leyland Deere had their 435 backhoe loader on display while Ashok Leyland showcased their H-Series 6 cylinder engine which produces 165 bhp/539 NM and 4 cylinder Neptune engine which puts out 190 PS and 700 Nm. Celette demonstrated their accident repair equipment.
[Wabco India's OptiDrive, ECAS and ABS components for heavy vehicles]
Wabco India had series of add-on technologies on display which are aimed at making commercial vehicles safe and user friendly. Items on display included ABS for heavy vehicles, Electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) for buses, OptiDrive automated manual transmission for commercial vehicles etc.
During the inauguration of Auto Serve 2012, Mr. Mike Nithavrianakis, Deputy high commissioner of British High Commission released the CII-Mckinsey report on "Scaling Indian automotive aftermarket : Path to profitable growth". According to the report, Indian automotive aftermarket industry will continue to have a robust growth trajectory and its value is estimated at Rs. 37,000 Crore by 2015.
The exhibition attracted service heads of automakers, private and corporate fleet owners, dealers, mechanics and consumers. The event had an estimated visitors foot fall of over 20,000 people spread across three days.