It also shocked the global media, raised serious questions on the style of International manufacturers boasting of marketing vision, R&D and pissed off all the global manufacturers who have any kind of aspiration of entering the small car market in India.

The twin cylinder, 623cc, 33bhp, 3 meter long package that is now known to the world as the Nano will be launched for the Indian 'aam aadmi' but with a name that hints of a global vision. Anyways, I think the real challenge for Tata Motors has just begun because the car has generated a massive interest among the people, which was evident in the Expo where people actually came with chequebooks or cash to book the car. So, Tata Motors is going to face a great amount of pressure in producing and delivering the Nano as per the expectations of its customers and the need for a huge service back up will also be called for.

Next to the Tata pavilion, there was another company which was attracting a lot of eyeballs and not very surprisingly. With a bunch of good looking Australian models at its tow the new hatchback, Skoda Fabia which incidentally is the car that took so much of time to reach 'Sar-Zameene-Hindustan' and had already undergone a series of changes since they had started giving its preview to the Indian media was finally launched. The Fabia, launched with a campaign that promised a Maharaja kind of experience at a price range of Rupees 4.99 to Rupees 7.68 lakhs created the right kind of buzz. It is a hatchback that comes loaded with a lot of hi-end features like dual front airbag, ABS and electronic sunroof.

Currently, there are two engine variants available, the 1.4 litre PD (Pump Duse: VW’s version of direct injection diesel engine) 69bhp, 155Nm and the 1.4 litre petrol engine with 85 bhp and 132 nm figures. Also planned is the 1.2 litre petrol version, which we hope to see, launched this year itself? The Skoda Fabia indicates that the super hatch category/B plus segment is gaining ground in India, which means that we can see more of bigger hatchbacks like the Honda Jazz very soon.

It is always a delight going through BMW's line-up, not because they are the best looking of the lot but due to the sheer potential they have tucked under their bonnet and this time the company actually delighted everyone. In a very limited space one could see a lot, the company launched their much talked about M series- the M3, M5 and M6 with the price ranging from Rupees 75 lakhs to Rupees 1.24 crores. Also on show was the Individual series, which is actually a BMW car, representing the expression and personality of its owner.

Going to the Maruti Suzuki camp was as delightful as ever; the first thing you notice had to be the A-Star. Initially, this car impressed me but only up to a certain extent, it was a small little cute car with non-conventional curves, elements, lights and facia. But once you start looking for details you will be amazed just like I was. Such detailing by a team, which had Suzuki as well as Maruti engineers, it was really impressive. It was adorned with Indian organic patterns, a camera instead of side view mirrors and turn signals elegantly tucked in the rear screen.

I have seen a lot of concept cars in International expos but seeing this car in an Indian motor show was something else. We will have to wait and see how much of the original model is retained in the actual production model, Suzuki's first global car out of India.

Another concept which was splashed all over the media was the ‘Splash’, this was mainly because of its candidature as the Wagon R replacement but Mr. Nakanishi says it is not going to happen, at least not like that. He reckons that all these models will live happily together like the joint families in Ekta Kapoor’s Tele serials. Anyways, looking at the car the first thing that attracted me was its rear with the soft little Japanese touch that goes with the look and is not in the least bit like other cars where the designers either run out of ideas, get tired or just forget to look at the rear.

In case of the Splash, the designers had put in a lot of effort and thought in designing the rear end, which is so much better than that of the WagonR; the front end resembles to a certain extent the Swift and Wagon R. It will be interesting to see which engine options among the 1 litre petrol, 1.2 litre petrol and 1.3 litre diesel will be available in India.

The concept car Kizashi looked like a car for all the hip-hoppers, x box fans and maybe Bat-Mobile freaks. The look, shape and feel was so futuristic and exciting that you almost forget that Suzuki is trying for a big leap and actually getting into D segment cars. Way to go!!!

Then there was the car, which could serve as the median for a transition from Kizashi to any other car. DC seems to have done it again and this time he chose the Ambassador. Ambie-Rod rocking!! Not many of the visitors understood why there was a ROD in the name, but they didn't seem to care much, they just loved the AmbieRod. The DC stall seemed to be brimming with people all throughout the day.

The only other stall, which could match the crowd at the DC stall, was perhaps the Mercedes pavilion. The crowd was especially excited about the SLK-Class. They couldn’t care less about the C class which has been launched with improved power output, agility and control, all they wanted was to touch and feel the legendary name, that’s is our India psyche.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has been trying to get a bigger and better replacement for Pragati Maidan from a long time and I am sure after seeing this year's turnout everyone would agree, 18 lakh people, now that is huge. The best part was the crowd, which was so knowledgeable; they knew what was what and which company was coming up with what. Looking at them you could hardly imagine that some years back the Indian population had just two options in automobiles, the Amby and the Premier Padmini. Today, they are so much into world cars that you could see them hovering around the new QarmaQ concept from Hyundai or the FCX from Honda.

Coming back to the cars, Honda and Hyundai were sharing one hall where on one side you could see the Jazz concept, FCX and also the Civic hybrid, which is coming to India this year. This was one very compact hall where all the space was divided between Honda and Hyundai. Here one could see Hyundai showcasing its Advanced Technology Demonstration Vehicle (ATDV) QarmaQ, which comes with over 30 different environmentally progressive technologies led by the innovative “Elastic Front”, a unique solution that can help reduce the risk of severe injuries to pedestrians in case of collisions.

At the Audi pavilion you could see the A 4 and the diesel powered R10 TDI which had won last years LeMans race. GM launched the Captiva and they had brought in the Hummer as well, so one could give the Mahindra Renault stall a miss, which was right across from GM.  Mahindra, in their stall had the Ingenio as well as electric three wheelers and the much talked about AXE.

Then there was the Outlander, yes Mitsubishi was also there with their soon to be launched SUV cum D segment contender. Also present was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, the car that promises 300horsepower. I kept standing there for quite some time wondering how it will perform and if I would ever get to drive it. The company guy who stood by the car had a smile on his face, which told me that it was not going to happen, not now at least but I am keeping my fingers crossed …

The stall next to this rally champion was that of another champion, India’s number one Bike Company, Hero Honda. It has been a long since we last saw something really exciting from Hero Honda in the expos; it was no different this time around. What we had in front of us all were the latest models from Hero Honda so I proceeded looking for some launches.

Not so long ago there was a brand, which was part of Indian bike lovers' nostalgia, which is now trying to bounce back into the present. Yamaha launched their super bikes the R 1, MT01 and backed it up with the great looking and promising line-up of Gladiator RS, SS, new R15 and the long awaited 150cc Yamaha FZ. The company will commence the launch starting February end with the Gladiator, mid 2008 will see the launch of the R15 and by October 2008 we can see the FZ on our roads. The R15 and FZ is something, which is going to help Yamaha get back into the game. We will have to wait and see if the looks are complimented with that kind of exciting performance as well.

The Indian Bike market is not doing too well and that was very evident in the expo. Most of the two-wheeler manufacturers were trying to showcase their potential but were not in a mood to launch too much. Bajaj announced a lot of new products to be launched on the discover platform and new scooters as well but not immediately. This time around the Bajaj pavilion was set-up with an interesting tricolour where Orange represented KTM and green Kawasaki.

TVS showcased some really stunning concepts, fresh and stylish. One of them was an interesting mix between step-thru and scooterette called the ‘Raptor’. TVS has always made it a point to bring out something like that at every auto expo and so was the case this time around. The Flame, which was attracting a fair amount of eyeballs, is still in a fix because of a tussle ensuing with Bajaj.

Talking of stepthru concept, Honda also launched their aviator scooter with looks that is something of a cross between a regular scooter and a step thru type front. But it was very much clear that HMSI had quite a specific plan, we could see super sports to super bikes on display but if someone wanted to know to whether any one of those big bikes were coming to India the reply came from the stall just opposite HMSI, Suzuki.

Just before the expo was about to finish, Suzuki announced that they were actually bringing in the Hayabusa this year pairing it with the GSX R1000 and B-King most probably. Expect it to be as expensive as a Yamaha R 1 and or the MT01.

But there were two wheeler manufacturers present at the Expo who were very excited about their launches and exhibitions. Electric bikes were present in so many numbers and makes that it was easy to confuse them; almost all of them looked the same but with different badges. This went to show that companies were confident that Indian customers are going to opt for these electric scooters or they were just too optimistic. This might just be like the dotcom boom but you could definitely feel the respect or receptivity for alternative fuelled vehicles has increased for sure as you could see CNG kit fitted bikes and scooters as well.

Just being at the Royal Enfield exhibition just outside the two wheelers hall was a good feeling even though it didn’t showcase any new products. It spoke about the new lifestyle trend that is creeping in, with bikes parked next to tents telling one to get out of the daily grind of life and to go back to nature park true biker style.

So in nine days we saw new cars, bikes, trends and also visitors taking part in online dance talent hunt shows at a truck manufacturer’s stall.  And then there were some trying out their karaoke capabilities at some component company’s stall or watching dance shows at another stall. But it was not long before they set out to the next hall in hope that they would see a Ferrari, a Lamborghini or a Harley-Davidson.

A fairly large crowd observed quite keenly what the young engineers at Ashok Leyland had to offer in their concept bus, called I-bus. The I-bus has been created for the economy business class traveller as it boasted of Wi-Fi and happened to run with out a conductor.

So, what started with a small little car setting new standards, challenging domains of established players and existing trends; pushing so many products into obsoleteness; the 9th Auto Expo went on with loads of launches, hi-tech engineering advancements, displays and tie-ups thus foretelling India’s auto- market story.

This was the first expo where we heard discussions on the almost clashing dates of the Detroit and Delhi Auto Shows. This Expo has really proved that the Indian Automobile industry has arrived and become global with companies taking them much more seriously than before…so see you all in the 10th Auto Expo.