The busy pace continues The past year has ended a very busy tone and I think at least January will prove relatively quiet, but the opposite is true. The ICOTY Awards of the Year have been completed for 20 years. The award ceremony has grown from a few of us in 2006 to a banquet hall full of people, who is in the automotive industry. Icoty is not only the largest and most prestigious award in India, but also enjoys global recognition. We need to thank Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and MD, JK Tire and Sanjay Sharma (Hardy) for their support over the past 20 years. By the way, I happen to be the only member of the jury related to the award. The winner of Icoty in 2025 is Mahindra Thar Roxx. Maruti Suzuki Dzire ranked second and Maruti Suzuki Swift ranked third. With the BMW X5 30d, the drive to Goa is very pleasant. The beauty of the…
Advancement at the Crossroads Every year we say the same thing about how the year goes by, and this year is no exception, as I write my last editorial for 2024. We are on the cusp of switching from fossil fuel vehicles to alternative energy sources, and it is still so very uncertain what will power our cars in the future. Many are betting on electric vehicles, but at the same time, a survey in the United States, one of the world's largest auto and electric vehicle (EV) markets, revealed that 47% of existing EV owners want to switch to an internal combustion engine ( ICE) cars. That's not good news for manufacturers betting big on electric vehicles. No wonder some of them are abandoning their commitment to switch entirely to electric vehicles in the near future. I traveled from Pune to Goa twice in the past month in two different cars. The first time I drove the new Audi…
uncertain timesThe automotive industry is going through a period of great uncertainty about the mode of propulsion: electric, internal combustion engine (ICE), hydrogen or other means. McKinsey Group conducted a survey of U.S. electric vehicle (EV) owners. The report revealed a shocking result: 47% of current EV owners want to switch to a petrol or diesel vehicle. There are several reasons for this, with most car owners citing charging as one of the main issues. Range anxiety is the second reason, and the third is the need to plan your trip in advance; there are no detours when taking a road trip. If 47% of Americans want to return to internal combustion engine vehicles, the future of electric vehicles does look bleak. As of now, the best option is a plug-in hybrid. It's green, and at the same time, it doesn't bring range anxiety. I was in the United States last month. The first time I saw the Tesla Cybertruck,…