"New Delhi Auto Expo: Economy and Environment in Conflict" Green Car Advisor

New Delhi Auto Expo: Economy and Environment in Conflict

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

NEW DELHI -- The 9th New Delhi Auto Expo has seen many auto manufacturers talk about emissions and the cleanliness of their vehicles. It has also marked the arrival of hulking sport-utility vehicles and fearsomely quick sports cars into the Indian market.

As Greenpeace protested outside, and journalists fought to take photos of the $2,500 Tata Nano car-for-everyone, a message of clean emissions and environmental awareness got lost here at the Pragati Maidan exhibition halls.

Tata heaped praise upon itself, not only for unveiling what is now the world's cheapest car, but for ensuring that it achieves 50 miles per gallon and meets Euro III emissions standards.

Those fuel economy figures look pretty good, though it’s probably what you should expect when buying a car powered by a 32 horsepower two-cylinder engine.

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Group and Tata Motors, says that the Nano will soon meet stricter Euro IV emissions levels.

While he was playing the green card, General Motors Corp. displayed a Hummer H3 (we're told it’s here only to gauge consumer interest) and BMW announced that its pavement- and fuel-devouring M Cars will be available in India starting later this month.

To confuse matters even more, Mahindra & Mahindra – best known for its lineup of rugged pick-ups and SUVs – displayed bio-diesel and hybrid versions of its Scorpio sport-utility.

So what does it all mean?

For starters, Indian car buyers are like the rest of the world. Green technology is all well and good, but there will always be enormous interest in cars that get your heart racing when you mash the gas pedal – even if they then leave you flat broke when you have to fill-up the tank.

Without going into excruciating detail, the Indian market is generally three to four years behind Europe when it comes to emissions standards. We heard this time and again when chatting with execs and PR handlers from all the major manufacturers – and a few very minor ones – displaying vehicles here at the Auto Expo.

Of course, many Indian vehicles are sold globally, and meet stricter regulations for European or Asian markets.

CNG (compressed natural gas) is also playing a major role – at least in New Delhi – when it comes to improving air quality.

In 2000, New Delhi upgraded city buses to run on CNG rather than diesel. The ratty green and yellow three-wheelers (also known as tuk-tuks, or auto rickshaws) that can be found everywhere in this bustling city are CNG-powered. Sachin Gupta, assistant manager at Bajaj Autos, explained that CNG is "up to 40% cheaper than gasoline, and has half the emissions."

Things sound good, at least on paper.

But after spending 20 minutes riding to and from the exhibition center, and at least half the day walking outside from hall to hall, the city's pollution reared its ugly head. Or, more to the point, turned my head plain old ugly.

Back at the hotel, my eyes were bloodshot and a thin layer of black grime covered my face and neck. Adding to the fun, I soon discovered that I had a bloody nose and a pound of soot in each nostril.

A day at any auto show can be grueling, but this was getting ridiculous!

Auto manufacturers can talk about meeting higher emissions, and Greenpeace can stage noisy protest outside convention centers.

But all it takes is a little first-hand experience – and a nose full of smog – to know that matching India's rapid economic growth to a healthy economy is going to be even harder than building a $2,500 car.