The national capital will play host to one of the biggest auto shows in Asia -- Auto Expo 2008 -- beginning January 10 where 30 new vehicles will be displayed.

The auto expo, which will open for the general public on January 11, will witness four global launches including the much awaited Tata's Rs one lakh car and Maruti [Get Quote] Suzuki's hatchback A-Star concept.

"The 9th Auto Expo is twice the size of Tokyo Motor Show and has been accredited as the biggest auto expo in Asia by OICA. There are around 2,000 participants from as many as 25 countries and is almost double the size of previous auto expo," Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India president Sanjay Labroo told reporters.

With around 1,20,000 sq ft of display area, the exposition expects to host over 15 lakh (1.5 million) visitors, up 50 per cent from that in 2006 when 10 lakh (1 million) people visited the fair.

In terms of business, he said this year's expo was likely to generate double the amount from the last one. The 8th Auto Expo, two years ago, did a business of more than Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million).

Labroo said of the 2,000 exhibitors, 40 per cent are global players. The expo has received an accreditation from Organisation Internatinale Des Constructeurs D automobiles of France.

Organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India, the this year's expo would be held at Pragati Maidan here. Entry tickets have been priced at Rs 500 for companies and Rs 150 for the public.

"Considering the growing importance of the Indian automotive industry on the global platform, various automobile and automotive giants and delegations from 25 countries, including France, Brazil, Japan and Korea, will also be visiting," Labroo added.

The exposition would see one of the biggest global participation with automobile manufacturers and ancillaries from the US, Japan, China, Germany, France and Italy among others exhibiting their products. The organisers have set up special pavilions such as diesel city, infotronics, design pavilion and auto enterprise.

Maruti Suzuki, India's biggest carmaker, will unveil its A-Star hatchback concept car with a launch slated later in the year. The company would also showcase its 1.1 litre Splash, which would be produced in India for the entire European market.

General Motors India will launch its best-selling SUV Captiva in India. GM's two biggest rivals globally -- Ford and Toyota -- have, however, decided not to participate in the expo.

Japan's Honda Motor would showcase its technologically advanced fuel cell car FCX and a hybrid Civic, besides a Jazz prototype, which would be launched in India in 2009.

But the spotlight will be on Tata Motors' [Get Quote] much-awaited Rs 1-lakh (Rs 100,000) car. India's biggest automobile firm would also showcase variants of Indica and Indigo.

"The objective is not only to promote the already established names in the auto industry but also to provide a platform to smaller ancillaries," Labroo said.