Mighty impressed with the Shanghai Auto Show, Sukrit Singh, CEO, Encompass, shares his first-hand experience as to what makes the Chinese market tick and draws inspiration from the same.
Before the hype and hoopla of Narendra Modi's visit to Shanghai, the team from Encompass landed in Shanghai to 'check out' the auto show. Any competitive aspirations we had were put to rest within the first few minutes of the awe-inspiring experience.
The swanky new National (Shanghai) Center for Exhibition and Convention Shanghai, China – is shaped like a flower and towers 10 floors high proudly (and loudly) making it the largest exhibition space in the world beating the likes of Messe Hannover by a few miles. Inspite of trekking for five days, our team hadn’t explored the vast expanse.
One world is not enough for China - and it strikes you as you visit the exhibition, as Chinese and global brands compete for space and design innovation square meter by square meter. The big Chinese brands such as Joylong, Hawtai, Dongfeng, Chery, Foton and Changan surprise you with their ingenuity in design and sheer determination. Their ambition speaks out loud and the message is clear – today China, tomorrow the world!
Then we have the 'Internationals' - like Hyundai, Fiat, Mercedes and BMW each reflective in their own global character. The fluidic Hyundai pavilion competes with the classic Italian design for Fiat and the precession of German-engineered Lamella design of Mercedes Benz. The effort and the investment that the auto companies are putting into the Shanghai Auto show is a testament to the importance of China in the world order.
As an Indian one can’t help but compare and compete! Here’s the score -
Exhibition Infrastructure - China 1 - India 0
Design Innovation - China 1- India 0
Production Values - China 1- India 0
Finish – China 1 – India 0
In the interest of national pride, I could not go on for this would be a hopeless thrashing in every aspect.
But for the Encompass team this isn’t a 'love-game' - for what we gained is even more significant. Four days of walking meant losing weight but gaining ambition. Taking in the sheer onslaught of design we gained inspiration. Touching and feeling the perfect finish and production values we gained determination. The experience has strengthened our resolve and we hope to showcase the results in January at the Delhi auto show.