The seven-day 10th Auto Expo this week could attract around 20 lakh visitors, higher than those at similar events held last year in Shanghai and New York, organisers said Monday.
About 2,100 participants from 30 countries will participate in the event, which will boast of over 1.25 lakh square metres of exhibition space. Shanghai drew six lakh visitors and New York 12 lakh, organisers said.
''We will have 40 percent more visitors this time and will have over 10 global launches and 50 other launches with all well-known auto makers taking part,'' said Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) president Pawan Goenka.
''We expect around two million visitors,'' Goenka told reporters Monday at the curtain-raiser for the event.
While the event will begin Tuesday, it will be formally inaugurated Jan 7 by Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.
The event is being organised by SIAM, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Pragati Maidan here.
The expo will witness the largest-ever overseas participation with companies from Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Britain participating.
Luxembourg will be the new entrant at the expo in 2010, said SIAM director general Dilip Chenoy.
This time commercial vehicles, two-wheelers and other variety of automobile accessories will also be on display.
Japan''s Toyota will display the Etios that has been especially designed for the Indian market, with German carmaker Volkswagen showcasing its much-awaited super-mini Polo.
Others like the US-based car maker General Motors will add a radically different looking car named Beat to its existing line up of compacts here. Honda, too, will reveal a new model.
Other displays at the event will include a wide range of new and locally designed and developed auto components. ''Many of these component designs have been patented in the country as well as overseas,'' the organisers said.
The auto sector is betting big on the event as makers of luxury cars are increasingly looking at making India a sourcing hub for components, besides using more local components in cars for the domestic market.
''The Auto Expo will act as a platform for both Indian and foreign business visitors where they will have ample opportunity to see products on display as well interact with officials of component companies at the venue,'' ACMA president Jayant Davar said.
The Indian automotive industry has a turnover of more than $18 billion (Rs.90,000 crore) and expects to gain significantly through new tie-ups, partnerships and marketing initiatives during the event, the organisers added.