The first day, first show of the much-awaited The Telegraph Auto Weekend Carnival revved up to a flying start.

The latest models from the major marquees drew crowds as potential buyers made a beeline to check out the variants and the deals on offer at the Carnival, which will be held at City Centre Salt Lake till February 21 (11am to 8pm).

Some booked test drives, others did test rides and gathered price lists as personal mobility is on a post-pandemic surge.

Electric vehicles, internal combustion engines (ICEs), diesel powertrains — customers can take their pick. Hyundai, the South Korean auto major which completes 25 years of operation in India, is at the carnival with its latest transmission technology, the iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) that does away with the clutch.

MG’s ZS is the electric vehicle to watch out, while Kia, Hyundai’s sister company, is luring buyers with its seven-seater Caravan and small SUV Sonet, which also has an iMT.

“We are participating in such a physical event for the first time since the pandemic started. We are eager to have our customers come and see, touch and feel our cars,” said the Hyundai representative at the carnival.

Sanat Kr Sinha

The just launched Renault Kiger, a compact SUV from the French company, drew a lot of gaze. “We are old participants in this carnival and we knew that if physical marketing were to begin, it had to be here,” said a Central Renault spokesperson.

It was MG’s ZS EV that stole the show with its charging port in the grille. Visitors milled around this electric vehicle asking for its range and price.

“I am interested in EVs but am not sure if there will be enough charging stations on roads,” said Aniruddha Sen, a visitor.

At the centerstage of the Kund was Japanese maker Nissan’s baby, the Magnite, the most affordable B-segment SUV. The company is also betting on its SUV Kicks to draw some enquiries. Also, the newly launched Volkswagen Polo together with its premium SUV Tiguan All Space drew customers.

Premium bike maker BMW Motorrad is participating in the carnival for the first time. “We have come here with our 300cc bikes, the 310 R and 310 GS, the most affordable range. We want Calcuttans to be familiar with our brand and our products,” said a dealer representative.

Both the bikes from Motorrad are for a pocket pinch of Rs 3,15,000 and Rs 3,55,000, respectively.

Giving Motorrad company was Piaggio Vespa and Aprilia. The sunshine yellow Vespa ZX, a 125 cc scooter, was a show stealer as was the

Aprilia Storm and Aprilia SXR, a 125 cc and a 160 cc motorbike from the Italian maker.