Bajaj, Royal Enfield, Harley-Davidson to miss 2016 Auto Expo

The Auto Expo is the biggest event for the Indian automotive segment. The manufacturers get to showcase their new products and at the same time the consumers get to see the latest vehicles and technologies that will be coming to India. 

Each Auto Expo there are a few manufacturers who decides to skip the biennial event and the 2016 Auto Expo is no different. Bajaj Motorcycles, Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson have confirmed that they won’t participate in the next year’s event that takes place in Noida. The top honcho of Bajaj said that they are not an international brand and that is why it doesn’t need to showcase its products in India. Interestingly, the Pune-based manufacturer did showcase some of their new products at the 2014 Auto Expo.

Royal Enfield on the other hand, makes its presence felt right outside the Auto Expo venue. In the 2014 Auto Expo, the company was seen promoting its presence across the expo route at the Auto Expo Gate. While Harley-Davidson launched the Street 750 at the 2014 Auto Expo, it isn’t participating in the next one as it doesn’t have any new products in the line-up and sells majority of the global products in India.

Participating in the Auto Expo is a costly affair. Each manufacturer, depending on the floor space they take, end up paying anything between Rs 5 crore and Rs 15 crore. Some manufacturers believe in using this money for research and development rather than spending in a week-long exhibition.