The Indian auto market is scaling every new milestone within its vision and has significantly grown in numbers during the past decade. For instance, the Indian automotive industry is widely regarded as one of the fastest growing markets across the globe and is currently the sixth largest in the world, in terms of annual vehicle production.
Accordingly, the Indian automobile players have grown as well and are considered among the top industry giants of the world. Like the big conglomerates of the automobile industry who showcase their engineering and technological brilliance in forms of concept vehicles, the Indian car makers are also coming up with their own state of the art products. The coming of age movement among the domestic car companies dedicated towards establishing the stamp of Indian engineering on the world map, besides exploring the near future of the automotive industry.
Tata Motors is considered as the South Asia's largest automotive manufacturer and has now a huge global footprint in a number of top international markets of the world including South Korea, South Africa, SAARC countries along with Middle East and European nations. The company has developed its Prima concept sedan for the Indian and international markets, which was penned by the top Italian automobile design company Pininfarina. The world renowned Pininfarina has some immensely popular cars under its belt such as Ferrari Mythos, Ferrari Enzo and few Volvo models as well. The Prima concept boasts of refined interiors and cabin space, while the exterior looks of the car underlines its Italian designing. The car could be Tata Motors' first global best seller upon its launch.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the country's largest passenger car maker, unveiled its compact SUV XA Alpha concept at the Auto Expo held in New Delhi in January 2012. Reportedly, the promising XA Alpha concept is built on the platform of the popular Swift hatchback and the car attracted a lot of interest from the media as well as general public. At present, MSIL is working profusely towards starting the commercial production of the compact SUV XA Alpha which will come assimilated with a 1.6 litre K-Series petrol powertrains and 1.3-litre DDIS diesel motor along with an All Wheel Drive (AWD) feature. The domestic consumers are keeping their fingers crossed as the MSIL has revealed that the XA Alpha concept may see the Indian daylight somewhere during the first half of 2013 summer. Recently, the company also showcased a concept variant of its Ertiga Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) at the Indonesian Auto Show.
Following the league, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Limited, the country's Utility Vehicle (UV) maker, and its South Korean subsidiary SsangYong Motors unveiled the premium crossover XIV-1 concept at the 64th Frankfurt International Motor Show in Messe, Frankfurt, Germany. The XIV-1 concept, which stands for 'eXciting user Interface Vehicle-1,' features an advanced user interface that entails its driver with the power of controlling the car via any mobile device like a smart phone. The amazing car enthralled the audience and became the most enticing product at the auto show.
Expressing his views on the futuristic and world class XIV-1 concept, Lee Yoo-il, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SsangYong Motors, said, “The XIV-1 is the culmination of SsangYong’s product development capabilities and a strategic model for the global market that embodies our experimental and progressive design spirit,” adding, “The Frankfurt International Motor Show serves as an opportunity for SsangYong, which seeks to become a global SUV maker, to further solidify its global profile.”
