German presence high at 2008 Auto Expo

The ninth Auto Expo, for which the curtains will go up on January 10, 2008, will see a record of sorts being created. Over 70 German companies will be participating in the Ninth Auto Expo to be held from January 10 to 17, 2008 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This has been informed by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), which is co-ordinating the German participation at the show since 1996.

The German participation in the event, touted as Asia’s largest auto show, is being supported by the Ministry of Economics and Technology in co-operation with Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA). It has been reported that the 2008 Auto Expo will see the largest participation ever from Germany encompassing seven halls.

It is expected that all the leading vehicle manufacturers of Germany, such as Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Skoda, and Volkswagen will be part of the German participation. These apart, Germany’s leading component manufacturers such as Bayer, Emitec, EDAG, Hella, Liqui Moly, Mahle, Mann and Hummel, Osram, and Schaeffler and ZF Friedrichshafen will also be seen at the Auto Expo.

Year after year, the German auto industry has been increasing its participation at the mega event. A report said that car exports have gone up by about 11 per cent year-on-year in 2007, despite a strong euro and sluggish car sales in the US. This means a new export record for the fifth year running. Further, unit car production is about six per cent higher than the record posted in 2006. In real terms, revenues for the auto industry as a whole (including parts suppliers) are up some 7 per cent in 2007, an all-time high for the fifth consecutive year.