The biennial Auto Expo in India was one of the victims of the pandemic. After several delays and shifts in both venue and date, the show finally settle on January 2023 as the first exposition to be held since the lockdown came into effect. The changes to the regular programming saw several manufacturers opt out of attending this year's show but those that remained committed made sure that they put on a display of products that will be remembered for years to come.
Related: Suzuki unveils 5-door Jimny and Fronx crossover at Auto Expo India 2023
BMW and Volkswagen were notable omissions, but the likes of Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and naturally, Maruti Suzuki made up for their absence. As a guest of Suzuki South Africa, we jetted off to witness first-hand the launch of two new models and take in all the sights and sounds that India has to offer.
Magnificent India
Not having travelled to India before, I was cautiously excited about getting to know more about a country that is rich in heritage, and culture and contributes significantly to our local automotive market. Many of the entry-level vehicles that we see on our roads hail from India where the automotive sector is fast growing and positioning itself as a global powerhouse.
Transportation in India is a smelting pot of old and new, four wheels, three wheels or two. With a population of 1.4 billion people and New Delhi being called home by more than 11 million of those (as per a 2011 census), one can imagine the melee that is traffic in and around the city. At no point in time will you do more than about 50 km/h and in fact, the national speed limit between major centres is only 80 km/h - remember that when you think that our 120 km/h national speed limit is slow.
Congestion is the name of the game and the rules of the road are nothing more than suggestions. White lines, lanes and direction of travel mean little to nothing to the commuters who, bumper to bumper, navigate their way through unregulated intersections where he with the most conviction has right of way. 3 lanes become 6 and it's not unusual to see traffic driving or riding against the flow on what is technically, the wrong side of the road.
Having experienced this first-hand, it's easy to see why my standing concern with India-produced vehicles exists. I've often lamented the light on-centre steering, the lack of feedback, and nervousness at speeds in some of these models. Simply put, many of the vehicles produced in India are not built for travel at 120 km/h. The light steering and on-centre vagueness are a product of too little camber on the front wheels. This is great for the turning circle and when navigating the chaos that is an Indian road but useless when trying to take a highway sweep at 120 km/h.
Thankfully, it does seem that the critique and feedback are landing and of late there has been a spill of vehicles produced in India that are hard to fault.
Auto Expo 2023
Toyota
Toyota showcased several interesting vehicles with the Mirai, in particular, grabbing my attention. This midsize sedan has attractive lines and a hydrogen fuel cell power source. Green energy was naturally the buzz word and many of the manufacturers took to showcasing their latest hybrid, hydrogen or full electric offering. Toyota had the BZ4X on its stand, presenting its foray into full electric mobility. You can read about our drive of the BZ4X here: Toyota bZ4X (2022) International First Drive Review
Lexus
Before all eyes were cast Suzuki's way, the Lexus stand drew a crowd thanks to the attendance of their LF-Z electric concept as well as the futuristic LF-30 that looks as if it landed straight from a sci-fi comic book. The new 2023 RX500h drew a fair amount of attention as well, appealing to the well-heeled customer that is looking for the flexibility of hybrid power.
Tata
Tata is a strong brand in India and not wanting to be left out of proceedings, offered up a few tasty new models for the Indian market. Primary of which was the full-electric Harrier EV which joined no fewer than 14 other models on the stand for the event.
Morris Garage
Better known as MG, a brand that South Africa hasn't seen in many years, showcased a variety of wares including the Hector, a vehicle which features no fewer than 11 Level 2 semi-autonomous driving aids.
Kia
With electrification charging forward in India (pun well intended), Kia put both their latest EV9 SUV and the EV6 crossover on display and dived deep into the world of semi-autonomous driving with their displays.
Hyundai
Not to be outdone by their sister brand, Hyundai had several Ioniq models on display including the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 with several side activations for visitors to engage with, all regarding charging and electrification.
Suzuki
As stated earlier, it was Suzuki that stole the show. Their massive stand included the EVX concept car and a host of models unfamiliar to South Africa. We have word that the XL6 6-seater compact MPV is destined for our shores but the real drawcard was the launch of two new vehicles, both set to touch down in South Africa in the coming months.
Fronx
The Fronx may have a strange name but this compact crossover is no pushover. Building on the success of the Baleno, Suzuki has developed a crossover that utilizes the same HEARTEC platform and incorporated some of the styling cues that we've come to love in the Baleno. Appropriately sized, the Fronx has a 5-door layout with coupe-like styling for a sporty look. The front end makes the most of LED technology and the aggressive headlights flank a large grille with trapezoidal air dams off to either side, replete with LED fog lamps.
At the back, the sharp angles offset the Hoffmeister kink in the C-pillar and below the rear window rests a full-width LED strip, joining the LED taillights while a beefy rear diffuser and black wheel arch cladding lend credence to the high-riding crossover design.
Jimny 5-door
Our social media channels exploded when we first posted images of this new variant of the much-loved Suzuki Jimny. Indeed, the world has been eagerly anticipating a first look at this more practical application of the Jimny name.
Still retaining the overall proportions of the 3-door Jimny, the 5-door is only 340 mm longer in its wheelbase and marginally longer still (360mm) in overall length. The height, width and ground clearance all remain the same, as does the All Grip 4x4 system with 2H, 4H and 4L transfer case. The power unit also remains the same with the robust and dependable K15 engine serving in this new version.
The approach and departure angles change by merely a degree or two and the breakover angle is reduced by 4 degrees to 24 degrees. This is a small price to pay for the ease of access to the rear, the improved rear legroom and the increase in boot size.
