The Auto Expo, the largest automotive show in India, provide a platform where global launches and maddening crowds converge - putting the spotlight on the Indian automotive market with automobile manufacturers pulling all stops to woo the Indian buyers. This showcases their future line up from hybrids to supercars and from compact vehicles to SUVs.

Auto Expo 2012 being considered as mother of all auto expos, includes many new players; Peugeot Citroen, which is in the process of establishing a manufacturing facility at Sanand, in Gujarat, premium car maker Bugatti, Japanese commercial vehicle major Isuzu, Kamaz Vectra, a Russian company that makes trucks in India, local name Garware Motors, which has started selling superbikes, Daimler Commercial Vehicles, BMW Motorrad, off-road vehicle maker Polaris and the UK-based Triumph Motorcycles. Some of the curtain raisers were, Maruti Suzuki, which unveiled its compact SUV XA Alpha and first compact 3-row MPV- the Ertiga, Tata with the new Tata Safari Storme and Tata Pixel (A compact car with the dimensions of the Tata Nano), Bajaj RE60 four-wheeler- compact vehicle with a body that weighing about 400 kg, a 200cc 4 stroke engine, DC Design India's first ever sports car- DC Avanti, Chevrolet unveils Sail hatchback, Renault unveils Pulse and the Duster, Mercedes Benz introduced SLS AMG Roadster, Audi India unveiled Q3- its first ever cheapest car for India, BMW unveils M5- a 4.4-litre V8 engine with M Twin Power Turbo technology, producing a maximum output of 560 HP, Peugeot announced that the Peugeot 508 will be their first offering in India with only a diesel option, Nissan unveiled their MPV- the Nissan Evalia, Jaguar unveiled its hybrid cars- C-X75 & C-X16, Bajaj introduced their first car- the RE60 (a commercial vehicle and an upgrade or replacement for a three wheeler auto rickshaw), BMW India launched the Mini brand- Mini Cooper S, Hyundai unveiled its Sedan- Sonata powered by a 2.4 litre GDI (gasoline direct injection) petrol engine. Not only the four wheeler segment but the show showcased many other automobiles like Royal Enfield gave a treat to its fans by launching a 500cc version of the famous Thunderbird, Ducati introduced Monster 795 with an 800cc engine and Ashok Leyland launched its first volley in the fast growing small LCV segment with the launch of its DOST.

With the entire buzz around the Auto Expo 2012, one thing is very clear that despite the market slowdown and the eventual fall in sales, Indian automotive OEMs are quite optimistic about the growth potential.