Whose autograph do you want, SRK or Valentino Rossi?

While many Bollywood actors are set to grace the 10th Auto Expo, Yamaha may bring in nine times Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi

While many Bollywood actors are set to grace the 10th Auto Expo, Yamaha may bring in nine times Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi

The 10th Auto Expo being held at Pragati Maidan promises to be a star-studded affair, with John Abraham kick-starting the celeb rush on the first day. Abraham unveiled the 2010 version of Yamaha's YZF-R1 motorcycle on Tuesday.


Stars of the world unite: Valentino Rossi	Shah Rukh Khan

The other stars queued up to make their presence felt at the event are Saurav Ganguly who will be promoting Vibgyor bike and Saif Ali Khan, who will back General Motors. Shah Rukh Khan is slotted to arrive today to promote Hyundai's latest offering, while Vivek Oberoi may fly in to support Dilip Chhabria's designer Nano.

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You just can't miss it!

But the biggest crowd-puller could be nine times Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi, who is rumoured to be attending the Expo to unveil the Limited Edition Yamaha YZF-R1 Valentino Rossi replica that will have his autograph on its tank. The model is priced above the existing YZF-R1 motorcycle, which costs around Rs 12.5 lakh.

However, Yamaha officials have not confirmed his presence at the show. But a source in Yamaha informed MiD DAY that the racing champion will visit the Yamaha pavilion on January 9 or 10.

Rossi's races

Rossi, who drives for the Fiat Yamaha Team, is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name. According to Sports Illustrated, Rossi is one of the highest earning sports personalities in the world, having earned an estimated US$34 million in 2007.

Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. From there, he moved up to the 250cc category with Aprilia and won the 250cc World Championship in 1999. He won the 500cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003, and continued his streak of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009.

Nano goes to America

"We recognise there is a market for the Nano in developing countries. We also recognise there is a market for a low-priced car in the developed world. For the US, the car would need a larger engine and additional crash tests. I can't indicate how long this will take but it could be three years," said Ratan Tata on Tuesday at the Auto Expo.

Tata, goodbye

"I still have a deadline for my retirement. I do have the responsibility to have a successor and both these things will take place," said Tata, who had declared his intention to step down after the launch of the world's cheapest car Nano.

Cars of the day

Checkout MiD DAY's favourite four from the several car launches that took place on the first day of the 10th Auto Expo

Toyota Kirloskar Etios
On Tuesday, Toyota unveiled its much-awaited compact car, which is the brand's global vehicle made in India, the Etios. Targeted at both the sedan and the hatchback markets, the Etios took over 2,000 engineers and four years to be built. The 5-seater Etios is a strong car with elegant interiors. It will roll out in 2011.

Maruti Suzuki RIII concept car
Maruti unveiled its concept multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the R3 at the Expo. The concept vehicle is the first to be designed entirely in India within nine months. The R3 sports three rows of seats, which is what the name denotes. Its interiors are funky and draw inspiration from the properties of water.u00a0Pics/Rajeev Tyagi

Honda concept car
Honda unveiled the New Small Concept at the Expo. This is the first time Honda chose India for the world premiere of a car. The car has been designed for India and other emerging markets. Will be launched in 2011.

Volkswagen Polo car
Volkswagen entered the small car segment with its international best-seller, the Polo. The car, which is targeted for the masses, will hit the road in April but till then the company has decided not to disclose its price tag.