Auto Expo vs Bharat Mobility Global Expo: what the difference is, and which venue has the cars

Short answer first. Auto Expo, The Motor Show is still the car and bike show, organised by SIAM with ACMA and CII, and it is still accredited by OICA, the world body that recognises major motor shows. What changed is the roof over it. Since 2024 it runs as one show inside a much larger umbrella event called Bharat Mobility Global Expo, which also carries tyre, battery, cycle, components, construction equipment, air mobility and agricultural mobility shows. So if you want new cars and bikes, you want Auto Expo. If you want the whole industry, you want Bharat Mobility.

For 2027 the split is clear on the official pages. Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi runs 4 to 9 February and holds Auto Expo, The Motor Show along with the India International Tyre Show, Bharat Battery Show, India Cycle Show, a mobility tech pavilion by NASSCOM and a steel pavilion. Yashobhoomi in Dwarka runs 4 to 7 February and holds the components and technology show, construction equipment, air mobility and agri mobility. In 2025 there was a third venue, India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida. The organisers now list eleven concurrent shows, 1,750 or more exhibitors and a target of over 10 lakh visitors.

Why there was no show in 2026

Bharat Mobility ran in February 2024 and again in January 2025, then skipped a year. Autocar India, citing Autocar Professional, reported that the show has gone back to a biennial cycle so exhibitors get more time to build and show next-generation products. That is the old Auto Expo rhythm, which ran every two years. Piyush Goyal had earlier said all automotive shows would be merged into the Bharat Mobility event, and the 2024 edition drew around 800 exhibitors and 1,50,000 registered visitors in three days.

The 2025 edition is the one to measure against. Net footfall across the three venues was 9,83,522 over six days. Across all the co-located shows there were 239 product launches, of which 90 were new vehicles at Auto Expo, The Motor Show itself and 97 were components at Yashobhoomi.

What a visitor actually gets to see

This is the part owners and enthusiasts ask about most. The first days are for business and media, and the general public gets in later. For 2027 the Auto Expo FAQ says public days are 6 to 9 February, from 10:00 to 18:00, with entry to the venue closing an hour before the official close and the halls closing 30 minutes before that. Ticket prices had not been announced when this was written, and the FAQ says each ticket admits one person, is single use and is non-refundable. Children under five and wheelchair users with one attendant go free.

Plan for crowds and for queues at the popular stands. Bags are screened, large backpacks are discouraged and there is no cloakroom. Outside food and drink are not allowed, drones are banned, and parking is first come, first served. Taxis and autos wait outside gates 4 and 6.

Whether you get to sit in a car depends entirely on the stand. Production models on turntables and roped-off concepts are look-only. Cars parked at floor level with the doors unlocked usually have staff managing a queue. Bikes are the better bet, since most two-wheeler stands keep a few machines off the plinth for people to swing a leg over. If touching matters to you, go on the first public day, early, and work the halls from the far end inwards.

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