09th Jan 2000

The Mercedes-Benz stall is, traditionally, the one that stands out for sheer efficiency and design. This time promises to be no different, with a display on the 1999 F-1 winning race machine at centrespread position. Other goodies include the now-familiar "A" Class, the American built M-class MPV, the "new" Indian Benz car with the V6-2.4 litre 156bhp engine and 6-speed gearbox, and a CLK Cabrio. Show starts at Hall 10, but be there before the BIFR shuts it down . . .

Toyota's Qualis, up on show at Hall 3, will be a bit of a 4-wheeled oxymoron. As a company, they are capable of much more worldwide, but for India they have a people mover on display at Hall 3 which can, at best, be called basic. This is Toyota's second foray into India after their earlier venture with DCM to make trucks, and while the production quality of the Qualis is supposed to be great, the product itself is outdated. Sad, considering the fact that Toyota auto-show participation worldwide is something people look forward to for far more than a 10-year old truck.

TELCO have, as usual, their favourite perch in hall No.11. Trucks, buses, cars and concept cars. Nothing will match the 1998 excitement that the Indica generated. It is, obviously, time to sit back and recoup as well as reconsider for this group. The hall layout promises to match this sentiment.

Hyundai promises a lot, and have been close to delivering, too, as sales of their Santro have indicated. Showtime at Hall No. 14, with a wide range of upmarket cars from Hyundai including the Tiburon Turbulence and the upscale Sonata. Check out what this upward bound manufacturer has to offer in addition to the now-on-the-road Accent and Santro, and youma be in time to see and hear the Korean drum band they put up too. Also on show: the very futuristic and environmentaly friendly Euro-1. If anybody can challenge the perceptive advantage of the Europeans, it is Hyundai. This stall will probably be the one where people enter and spend a lot of time.

Volvo show on in the same hall and outside it too, so best way to reach a Hyundai . . . is look for a Volvo truck!

Fiat re-appear on the Auto Expo scene after a bit of a gap of a few years, at hall No. 6. Shows that even those foreign manufacturers who have, in the past, taken a bit of a bath here, cannot but pop back in for another go. A range of Italian design, Alfa Romeo Spyder, Fiat Multipla, and the desi Uno/Sienna variants. But, more importantly, a chance for the current generation of Indians to re-discover what made Fiat the choice of a past generation. Now if only their dealers would take some feedback at the fair, then they could be more fair!

Dr. Alok Agagwal, Director/IBM, has suggested a novel "Indian" method for better fleet control and utilisation by bus and truck operators. This is in contrast with the existing system which (a) requires heavy manual interface and (b) only reports on a historical basis, by when the information is of not much use.

The proposed system consists of two transponder devices, one, (which can be called D-1) fitted in the bus/truck and the other (call it D-2) fitted in the static point, say depot or en-route filling stations. D-2 can be linked to the information system of the operator.

Every time a vehicle fitted with a "D-1" approaches within, say, 4-5 kilometres of any "D-2", it triggers an automated response system which provides the operator with all the details required especially time of passage. The "D-2" can also be programmed to provide reverse flow of information to the specific "D-1" bearing vehicle, like further instructions.

The savings in terms of running cost of the vehicles are not calculated as yet, but are expected to be high. The operational costs of a "D-1" or "D-2" are not likely to exceed Rs 200/- per month. The cost of the equipment required is cheaper than that of a mobile cell-phone. The technology exists, is very Indian, and can be implemented with ease.

Another Indian solution for an Indian problem. Check out the IIT-D stall for more details.