Over ten vehicles, including some small cars, are likely to see their global launch during the 10th Indian Auto Expo, beginning January 5 in New Delhi, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) president Pawan Goenka said on Tuesday.

The auto show, held every two years in the country, will see participation from majority of the world’s top carmakers including Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Suzuki, BMW, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Daimler Motors and homegrown majors like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. “We are expecting more than ten global launches in the Expo and this shows the importance of the Indian market for global automakers,” Mr Goenka told reporters from Mumbai.

This year’s India Motor Show is tipped to be the second-largest automotive event in the world, behind the Shanghai Motor Show, with projections of over 18 lakh visitors for the seven day event, according to Auto Expo chairman Rajive Kaul.

The Shanghai Motor Show that generates footfalls of over 20 lakh every year is considered the largest auto event in the world. Over the last few years, with the rapid growth in domestic demand, the Indian Motor Show has overtaken other big global auto events including those held in Tokyo and Frankfurt in terms of visitors. India happens to be the world’s second-fastest growing auto market.

Some of the big global launches slated for the event are General Motor’s Beat and Suzuki’s Eeco in the small car segment. Tata Motors, the country’s largest auto company by revenue, would also launch four new products, whose details are still under wraps. Japanese car maker Toyota and Honda will showcase their future concepts of compact cars that would hit the Indian market in the next two years.