With a 1.4-litre turbo-diesel engine delivering 70PS of maximum power and best in class fuel-efficiency under the hood, and not to mention the maneuverability of a hatchback and the interior space of an MPV, the Tata Venture will no doubt make proceedings interesting in the entry-level MPV segment interesting. The new MPV will be available in 5, 6 and 7 seating options and is slated to be launched very soon. Tata Motors also unveiled a glorified version of it Magic people carrier. Named the Magic Iris, the 611cc water-cooled diesel engine powered commercial vehicle, which will be launched later in the year, offers comfortable cabin space and car-like stability.

The Tata Motors display arena at the 10th Auto Expo also played host to a range of trucks, tractor-trailers, cranes, tippers and mixers. Also present at the show was the Tata Prima C sedan, a global version of the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano Europa, as well as the Indigo Manza, Indica Vista Sport, Sumo Grande MKII and Tata Safari among others. The Indica Vista Sport proved to be an aesthetic success with its bold sports claddings, Alphanso Orange body colour and contrasting black hood, and alloy wheels. In all, Tata Motors had displayed 37 vehicles at the Auto Expo, which included cars from Jaguar and Land Rover.

Jaguar and Land Rover, whose stand was adjacent to that of Tata Motors was out in full force at the 10th Delhi Auto Expo. Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Motors unveiled the brand new Jaguar XJ luxury sedan, marking its launch in India. Sleek and sporty, the all-new XJ is Jaguar's answer to the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S Class and the Audi A8. The XJ boasts of the most dynamic and efficient Jaguar engine ever, a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre, 385PS, Generation III direction injection V8 petrol.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was one of those few companies at the auto expo that displayed its entire range of products, starting from the Land Rover Freelander 2, Discovery 4, Ranger Rover and Range Rover Sport, besides the spanking new XJ luxury sedan.

The 10th Delhi Auto Expo saw the launch of the Volkswagen Phaeton and Polo hatchbacks. Exclusively manufactured at the company's glass factory in Dresden, the Phaeton is Volkswagen's flagship sedan, built to take on the crème de la creme of the luxury sedan realm, such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S Class. The handcrafted luxury vehicle is equipped with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine that cranks out 280PS of maximum power and peak torque of 370Nm@3500rpm. The Phaeton possesses a host of luxury and safety features, such as 8 airbags, 12-way electric seat adjustment with memory, cruise control etc. Priced at Rs. 75 Lakhs (Ex-showroom New Delhi), the Phaeton will hit the showrooms in our country in March.

The Volkswagen Polo finally made its debut in India at this years Delhi Auto Expo. The venerable premium hatchback will be available in both diesel and petrol engines and sport three trim levels-Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. Both the diesel and petrol Polo will carry under its hood a 1.2-litre engine, generating 75PS of peak power and torque of 180Nm and 110Nm respectively. The VW Polo is currently being manufactured at the company's Chakan plant, with sale slated to commence from March onwards. The sedan version of the Polo built on the same platform will be launched in the country in the second half of the year.

The Volkswagen Polo was accompanied at the 2010 rendition of the country's premier auto expo by a racing version of the same. Painted in racing livery, the VW Race Polo's showcasing at the auto expo was a means of signaling the impending arrival of the Polo Cup in the country. The VW Race Polo is powered by a 1.6-litre R4 common-rail diesel engine that generates a whooping 130PS@4400rpm and an astounding peak torque of 250Nm available in between 1500-2500rpm.

The world's largest automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation, had a gala weekend at the 10th Auto Expo, where its range of concept cars and hybrids drew positive feedback from the audience. The highlight of Toyota's display arena was arguably the Etios concept small car. The Etios is a global car that is expected to be on our roads by early 2011. The company is expecting a sale of 70,000 units in the first year. Toyota Motors will also launch a sedan version of the Etios, which was also displayed at the expo. While the hatchback will sport a 1.2-litre petrol engine, the sedan version will feature a 1.5-litre petrol unit in the engine bay.

Toyota Motors used the 10th Delhi Auto Expo as a launch pad for its Prius hybrid vehicle in the country. The world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle is in its third-generation, and has sold close to 1.5 million units worldwide. The third-generation Prius comes in three drive modes-Power Mode, Eco Mode and Electric Vehicle Mode and features a pioneering hybrid technology, called Hybrid System II. The hybrids 1.8-litre, 134PS, 2ZR FXE engine is world-renowned for its fuel-efficiency and refinement. The new Prius is loaded with a wide range of high-tech equipments, such as Traction control, Vehicle stability control, ABS with EBD, Audio and Bluetooth control with touch sensors on the steering wheel and 7 airbags. However, all these features, luxury and the innovative technology come at a hefty price. The third-gen Prius will cost Rs. 26.55 Lakhs (ex showroom Delhi) for the entry variant, while the top-end will set one back by Rs. 27.86 Lakh (ex showroom Delhi). And what more, the legendary hybrid will be available in only limited numbers. Among other cars, Toyota's pavilion also featured the Land Cruiser and the Land Cruiser Prado SUVs, which were launched in India in the previous car.

Toyota's arch Japanese rivals Honda Motors also had a successful outing at the Delhi Auto Expo, where it displayed its 'Small' and 'CR-Z' concepts, besides its entire range of products and three Jazz concepts. ASIMO, Honda's robot was a hit with the crowd and was photographed as much as the cars in the pavilion.

The Honda New Small Concept is the basis for the company's new hatchbacks developed mainly for emerging markets like India and Thailand. The Honda 'Small' whose road-going version will hit our roads early next year, will feature a 1.0-litre V-TEC petrol engine and will compete with the likes of the Hyundai i10 and Maruti Swift. To be manufactured at Honda's Greater Noida plant, the hatchback will comprise of 80% local components.

The pavilion of the country's numero uno luxury carmaker, BMW, was shining like a supernova, with its impressive collection of luxury sedans, convertibles, crossovers and coupes. The Munich based auto giant unveiled not one but fours cars for the Indian market in the expo, namely, 5 Series GT, X6M, 760Li luxury sedan and last but not the least, the X1 Crossover. While the BMW Gran Turismo (GT) is a limited edition model with only 100 units on sale and sports a price tag of Rs. 63 Lakhs (ex showroom Delhi), the X6M priced at Rs. 1.29 Crore (ex showroom Delhi) is a high-end version of the X6 Crossover range.

By far the one of the most attention-grabbing cars of the BMW stands was the newly launched 760Li sedan. The range-topping model of BMW's flagship series, which is in its fifth-generation, boasts of 5-star level of comfort, feature, luxury and performance. And that had better be the case, since the sedan costs a whopping Rs. 1.3 Crore (ex showroom Delhi). For an engine, the 760Li features a powerful 6.0-litre, V12 petrol unit with BMW Twin Power Turbo Technology that generates an astounding 536PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 750Nm, which is available from 1500rpm onwards.         

BMW also unveiled the entry-level model from the X Series range, the X1 at the expo. The BMW X 1, which was first unveiled at last years Paris Motor Show, is expected to be launched in the country in 2011. The crossover will come to our shores in the form of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) units, and will be assembled at the company's Chennai factory by the end of this year. Apart from the new launches, BMW's pavilion was also graced by the presence of the Z4, 3 Series, 5 Series and the X Series.

Giving tough competition to the BMW pavilion was arch nemesis Mercedes-Benz. Bitter after having surrendered the Number One luxury carmaker in India title to BMW, Stuttgart based Mercedes saw to it that a host of new and exciting cars adorned its pavilion alongwith its existing models. Chief among them were the newly launched S500L luxury sedan, GL 350CDI and the latest iteration of the famous 300SL 'Gullwing', the SLS AMG.  

The Mercedes S500L is a super-luxury sedan that takes the competition straight to the likes of the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. Powered by a 5.5-litre petrol engine, the monster V8 packs in 388PS of peak power and a whooping 550Nm of torque. When gadgets and equipments are concerned, the S500L is next to none. Loaded with high-end features like Night vision camera, Active cruise control, Lane keeping assist, Attention assist driver drowsiness etc, the S500L is a truly delightful car that makes one marvel at the technological prowess of Mercedes-Benz. Priced at Rs. 95 Lakh (ex showroom Delhi), the S500L is the most expensive car to be made in India.

The Rs. 64.9 Lakh (ex showroom Delhi) Mercedes GL350CDI SUV features the BlueEfficiency technology also seen on the new E350CDI. The 7 seater GL boasts of 225PS of maximum power and 500Nm of peak torque in its V6 diesel engine and will ply its trade in the luxury SUV segment alongwith the likes of the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5.  The Mercedes-Benz display stand also proudly presented a bevy of other models, such as the C Class, E Class sedan and coupe and the SL65 AMG.

All eyes at the Skoda Motors pavilion were on the abominable snowman, aka the Yeti. The Czech carmaker, which is a subsidiary of German auto giant Volkswagen AG marked the 10th Delhi Auto Expo with the launch of its eagerly anticipated SUV, the Yeti. The Skoda Yeti, which has been drawing rave reviews all over the world, was greeted with much warmth and interest at the expo. The Yeti's powertrain is a 2.0-litre TDI diesel, which is both powerful and torquey. The efficient engine is mated to a 4WD system, thus giving the SUV proper offroading prowess. Attractive, agile, capacious, fuel-efficient and tough, the Skoda Yeti is all set to light the Indian premium SUV segment on fire.

The Skoda Motors stand at the expo also featured the Fabia Elegance, the Laura L&K, the powerful Superb V6 and a host of international specs models, such as the 200PS Octavia RS and Superb Combi Elegance.

One of the most impressive pavilions at the 10th Delhi Auto Expo belonged to another subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, Audi. Although Audi did not launch any new cars at this year's expo, they did show off all its existing models and a bit more. The two most popular Audis' at this years show happened to be the A5 Sportback and the stunning 1935 225 Roadster classic convertible. While the A5 thrilled the crowd with its sporty sex appeal, the 225 Roadster stunned the audience with its class and elegance that spoke of a bygone era. Surely, the Audi 225 Roadster was the most beautiful car of the 10th Delhi Auto Expo.

The 10th edition of the Delhi Auto Expo saw Hyundai Motors launch its eagerly anticipated hybrid car, the i10 Electric. First unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, the i10 Electric possesses a 49kwh electric motor and 16kwh battery. The Electric has a driving range of 160km and a top-speed of 130kmph. The new car can be charged at home to full capacity in five hours through a 220V electric outlet. 

General Motors' starcast at the 10th Delhi Auto Expo consisted of the Chevrolet Volt Hybrid sedan, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Beat hatchback, as well as a blue Chevy Cruze WRCC car in full race livery. GM had on show a total of 11 concepts and production vehicles pooled under three different categories- Green, Performance and Hot hatch.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Mahindra Renault too were present at the expo. While notable M&M displays included the 3.0-litre, 105PS Mahindra Thar Adventure 4X4 Lifestyle Jeep and the new 2.5-litre Xylo D2, the Mahindra Renault camp highlighted the new Logan variant-Tourer, launched during the event. The Logan Tourer will be available in both petrol and diesel formant and priced in excess of Rs. 5.5 Lakh.

Italian giants Fiat Motor Spa had a modest outing at this years' edition of the annual auto show. The company unveiled a diesel version of its 500 hatchback, as well as 3 variants of the Grande Punto and 2 variants of the Linea sedan.      

Frances' auto bandwagon at this years' auto expo was led by Renault, which showcased its soon to be launched luxury sedan, Fluence. The new sedan has been developed in collaboration with Samsung and will be available in both petrol and diesel formats. The Fluence will be launched in India in late 2010, and sport a pricetag of Rs. 10-12 Lakhs.

The main highlight of the Renault pavilion was however the dashing and bright new Renault Megane Trophy hatchback. Advertised as a genuine racer, the new Megane Trophy features a 3496cc, V6 engine that spits out a gut-wrenching 360Nm of power and a peak torque of 390Nm@4500rpm. Built in Dieppe, France, the Megane Trophy looked stunning in its bright yellow paint, prominent rear spoiler, black alloys, racy front fender, bonnet scoops, racing stripes and the supercar like side air intakes. Renault also displayed a Formula 1 car from a previous season.

The 10th Delhi Auto Expo also saw a host of stars from the international and domestic arena, such as Valentino Rossi, Adrian Sutil and Shah Rukh Khan make a visit to the grounds of the Pragati Maidan.

The weeklong 10th Delhi Auto Expo attracted over 2 million visitors, surpassing the likes of the New York Motor Show in terms of visitors. The stunning success of the expo has heralded the emergence of India as a major auto destination and an economic powerhouse.