Clear Roadmap Required
ANOTHER YEAR HAS FLOWN BY. LAST YEAR VERY FEW mass-market cars were launched as compared to the luxury segment. The year also saw a lot of back-and-forth on the EV and hybrid policy. First the transport minister said that if the car manufacturers do not shift to electric cars by 2030, he would bulldoze them out of the country. Then he backtracked and said he would not do so. The biggest problem in India is that there no clear roadmap for the manufacturers to follow. Every six months somebody from the government makes a statement that contradicts the previous statements. Thus, the automobile company heads have their work cut out and are kept on their toes 24/7.
The Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY ) awards were held last month. I would like to thank Dr Raghupati Singhania and the team at JK Tyre for their support in making it the most coveted award. The Maruti Suzuki Swift was adjudged the Indian Car of the Year. We added a category, “premium car of the year”, and the winner of this award was the Volvo XC40.
Driving on the wrong side of the road keeps claiming lives almost on a daily basis but nothing seems to be done about this. Strict action needs to be taken against people who flout traffic rules because it is the law-abiding citizen who gets hurt; the offender gets away scot-free in most cases. The only way to put a stop to this malaise is to have one-way spikes, so that when someone goes down the wrong way, s/he will get a punctured tyre.
I would like to wish all our readers a safe and happy New Year. Please do not drink and drive.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
