Ajay Gabhane of Nagpur purchased a Kia Sonet on the eve of Diwali. He mentioned that his family found it right to replace their aging sedan with an exciting compact SUV during the festive season.

Like Gabhane, Tushar Deshpande chose the festive season to purchase a new passenger car during the Diwali festive season in Pune.

It were the individuals like Gabhane and Deshpande who contributed towards a cheerful festive season and Diwali for the Indian passenger vehicle and two-wheeler industry.

After witnessing a slowdown in sales performance during the first and second quarter of FY2023-24, it was the festive season that saw the auto industry uplift its spirit on the back of higher passenger vehicle and two-wheeler sales, albeit asking the underlying challenges that saw dealers and their association go to town stating that inventory levels were at an all-time high.

Until 29 October 2024, passenger vehicle registrations reached a record 4,25,000 units, according to the Vahan data. The previous peak was in January 2024 at 3,99,112 units.

With the Diwali festival spreading into early November, it is expected that that the passenger vehicle registrations will bridge the 4,50,000 milestone. This would mean that almost 15,000 units were registered every day.  

Starting at a slower pace, the festive sales picked up pace only close to Diwali this calendar year with two-wheelers registrations marking the most surge. Inside of the two-wheeler domain, it was the electric two-wheelers that contributed wholesomely to the sales surge. Among India's top electric two-wheeler OEMs, Ola Electric lead the pack with TVS Motors a close second and Bajaj Auto a close third.

Contributing handsomely to what is already considered as the record sales year (FY2024-25) for electric two-wheeler sales stood at 109,643 units as on 28 October 2024, as per the Vahan portal data.

This electric two-wheeler sales performance in the country should provide an interesting insight into how the Indian EV market is progressing and shaping up as well. 

With the main celebratory period of Diwali falling during the last days of October made for an interesting trend in terms of October 2024 sales and November 2024 sales.

With a sale of no less than 115,000 units expected by the time Diwali gets over in early November 2024, a significant uptake in sales performance would have been written in the financial books as compared to the sale of 88,156 units in September 2024.

The superior performance of two-wheeler sales overall as compared to passenger cars during the festive season could be attributed to the uptake in rural markets of the country, read a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services. During the festive season, the commuter two-wheelers experienced the highest traction among the ICE models and electric powered ones, the report mentioned.

In his LinkedIn post, Ravi Bhatia, President and Director, Jato Dynamics, averred, “India's automotive sector experienced a classic relief rally in October 2024, driven by festive sentiment and aggressive discounting. However, with the impending Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) year change requiring sustained discounts, questions arise about the rally's sustainability.”

The challenges, he said, were the sub-INR 10,00,000 passenger vehicle segment continuing to be under pressure, the upcoming VIN year change necessitating continued discounts and the question of demand sustaining post the festive season.
 

Image for representative purpose only.

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India has pledged to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2030 following the launch of the New Delhi Road Safety Declaration. Hosted by the Bharat Association of Road Safety Volunteers (BARS) at IIT Delhi, the initiative sets a long-term goal of zero preventable road deaths, aligning with the WHO Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030).

The National Road Safety Confluence brought together the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), the World Health Organization (WHO), state governments, insurers and vehicle manufacturers. The framework identifies three primary pillars for cooperation – Samaaj (Society), Sarkaar (Government) and Bazaar (Industry).

The Declaration adopts a Safe System Approach, prioritising human life in mobility decisions. Implementation will focus on five pillars:

• Governance & Accountability: Shifting metrics from road construction distances to lives saved and ensuring independent monitoring.
• Infrastructure & Blackspot Management: Continuous data-driven mapping of high-risk zones and safety audits of design.
• Safer Vehicles: Eliminating sub-standard components and integrating AI-enabled enforcement.
• Road User Behaviour: Mandatory practical driver training and stricter penalties for repeat violations.
• Post-Crash Response: Optimising the 'Golden Hour' through trauma care and standardised crash investigation.

India records the highest number of road fatalities globally. The confluence identified systemic gaps, including under-utilised crash data, fragmented accountability across agencies and inadequate emergency response integration.

The Declaration marks a transition from awareness campaigns to measurable implementation. Signatories have committed to time-bound action plans and the strengthening of district-level enforcement capacity.

Dr Mats-Ake Belin, Global Lead – Decade of Action for Road Safety, WHO, said, “Road safety is now firmly on the global agenda, with strong political and media attention. Our responsibility is to move beyond awareness and ensure consistent, evidence-based implementation so that no country is left behind in preventing road traffic deaths.”

V Umashankar, Secretary (Road Transport & Highways), MoRTH, added, “As a nation, we cannot accept road fatalities as inevitable. Each accident is personal, each loss preventable. Awareness is not enough - what we need is organised, district-level action, backed by certainty of enforcement and supported by strong institutions. When compliance becomes habit and accountability becomes certain, road safety will move from intention to impact.”

Rama Shankar Pandey, Chairman – BARS, stated, “Road safety is not merely a transport issue; it is a governance responsibility and a moral obligation. The New Delhi Declaration shifts the national conversation from fragmented initiatives to coordinated, time-bound, accountable action.”

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Tata Motors-owned British brand Defender has become the first luxury automotive brand in India to launch an anamorphic display. The installation is located at the Phoenix Palladium in Mumbai from 20–22 February 2026. Following the Mumbai launch, the display will move to Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai.

The 35 x 16 feet screen uses anamorphic effects to create a 3D visual experience where the vehicle appears to emerge from the display. The content was produced in collaboration with Inventech, a Laqshya Media Group company.

The activation marks a shift toward digital storytelling within the Indian luxury automotive sector. By utilising forced perspective, the display aims to visualise the vehicle’s design and presence without physical hardware.

Rajan Amba, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India, said, “Defender has a tremendous following and aspirational value in India stemming from its iconic heritage and off-road legacy that continues to inspire admiration across generations. Bringing India’s first luxury automotive anamorphic display to life is a natural extension of this legacy.”

Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, said, “This activation is not merely a showcase of an iconic 4x4; it’s a statement of how innovation, creativity and experiential storytelling can converge to redefine engagement in luxury automotive. Through initiatives like this, we aim to inspire, captivate and connect with our audience in ways that reflect the unmatched capability, vision and spirit of Defender.”

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The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) concluded its four-day Sustainability Week 2026 by hosting the inaugural International Conference on Automotive Material Compliance & Sustainability (AMCS) at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The event convened global regulators, industry leaders, technology experts and policymakers under the theme ‘Driving Circularity, Compliance and Innovation in the Global Automotive Supply Chain'.

The opening session, ‘India's Transition towards Sustainable Mobility & Material Compliance’, was addressed by SIAM Executive Director Prashant K Banerjee, who emphasised India's role as the world's third-largest auto industry in advancing sustainable mobility through global safety standards and circular economy principles. He noted that compliance with the End-of-Life Vehicles Rules 2025 strengthens structured vehicle scrappage and resource recovery. During this session, a context paper titled ‘Strengthening Automotive Material Compliance Across the Vehicle Value Chain’ was released.

Jaywant Hardikar, Senior Advisor at ICAT, addressed attendees by framing sustainable mobility as a legacy for future generations. He called for circularity in product life cycles, strong linkages between vehicle end-of-life and material reuse and quantifiable targets such as sustainability indexes or digital product passports for every vehicle. Hardikar emphasised that government-registered scrapping facilities would play key roles in ensuring proper material segregation from the design stage onward.

Sanjeev Jain, Director of Purchase at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, shared insights on India's journey towards global green mobility leadership through circular economy principles and resilient supply chains. He pointed to policy measures including Extended Producer Responsibility mandates, vehicle scrappage norms and CAFE standards as key drivers for achieving 45 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 through clean technologies including flex fuels, electric vehicles, charging networks, green logistics and green hydrogen.

Frank Nottebom, Account Delivery Executive for IMDS & CDX at DXC Technology, highlighted India's strategic importance for the International Material Data System, noting that active Indian users had grown from 3,600 to 21,000 in 2025. Hanno Focken, Managing Director of Catena-X, discussed global automotive value chain complexity and advocated for open, neutral and industry-governed solutions as India positions itself as a central link in global digital automotive supply chains. Dr Prabhakar Bhangare, CEO of Global PCCS, delivered the vote of thanks, emphasising shared commitment between manufacturers and service providers towards zero pollution goals.

The first technical session focused on ‘Policy and Regulatory Framework for End-of-Life Vehicles Worldwide’, moderated by SIAM Senior Advisor Dr Rashid Hasan. Dr A Ramesh Kumar, Principal Scientist at CSIR-NEERI, explained that Persistent Organic Pollutants are regulated under the Stockholm Convention requiring controls on 37 listed substances. International presentations followed from Europe delivered by Naina Agrawal of Marelli representing CLEPA and SaiKishore Uddandi of Joison Safety System representing CLEPA. From United States, Shridhar Rajappanavar of Key Sustainability represented AIAG. From Japan, Yoshihito Tanaka and Yosuke Miyake represented JAPIA.

The second technical session addressed ‘Digital Transformation in Supply Chain Transparency’, chaired by Frank Nottebom. Key presentations included Asmita Sathaye of Tata Motors on IMDS data best practices, Muthukumar N of Ashok Leyland on IMDS data accuracy and Hanno Focken on building digital ecosystems. Anja Lang of BMW Group and Shanawaz Sheik addressed product carbon footprint integration in IMDS. Deepti Kapil, Additional Director at CPCB, provided insights on end-of-life vehicle management guidelines.

The third technical session featured a panel discussion on ‘Overcoming Product Compliance Challenges in OEMs & Component Manufacturers’. Dr Prabhakar Bhangare served as moderator, delivering a context presentation on IMDS adoption levels and supplier maturity in India. Martin Eichhorn of DXC Technology addressed the session. The panel included Auto OEM representatives Arun Kumar of TVS Motor Company and Paurnima Barwe of Volvo. Auto Component Manufacturers were represented by Dr Naveen Verma of DENSO, Deepak Patil of Uno Minda and Sharad Raut of Southco. Sri Vinnakota of APA Engineering represented allied industries, concluding the four-day Sustainability Week 2026.

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Pluto Mobility, a Delhi-based electric mobility startup focused on last-mile logistics, has just closed a seed funding round at USD 2 million. The investment was steered by Version One Ventures, with Grad Capital also contributing. Notably, the round drew interest from founders and senior figures at companies like Delhivery, OfBusiness, Pixxel and Boom Supersonic, signalling strong vote of confidence from within the logistics and tech ecosystems.

The startup was launched by Akshat Bhatia and Himanshu Panda with a specific mission: to design electric vehicles from the ground up for the rigors of Indian urban logistics. Rather than adapting existing two-wheelers, they are building something purpose-built. The funds will go towards sharpening their engineering focus, growing their team and setting up pilot runs in key city markets.

What sets Pluto apart is its vehicle design. It is roughly the size of a scooter but fully enclosed, offering protection against rain and heat. More importantly, it can accommodate twice the number of parcels per trip compared to a standard two-wheeler. That efficiency gain is not accidental. The founders have rethought everything – from chassis layout to cargo space – based on how delivery agents actually work. The result is a vehicle that boosts throughput without asking operators to compromise on safety or manoeuvrability.

This matters because most delivery fleets today still run on vehicles built for personal commute. They are not equipped for the stop-start, high-volume nature of e-commerce or quick-commerce deliveries. Operators often end up overloading bikes or switching to bulkier vehicles that cannot navigate narrow lanes. Pluto aims to fill that gap with a solution that is compact, durable and weather-resistant.

Pilot deployments are scheduled to begin later this year, with a focus on quick-commerce and e-commerce players looking for smarter ways to move goods through crowded cities.

Akshat Bhatia, CEO, Pluto Mobility, said, “India’s last-mile challenge isn’t speed, incentives or apps. It’s that delivery operations are built on vehicles never designed for delivery workloads. That mismatch caps how much can be moved per trip, increases failures at scale and quietly affects delivery economics.”

Boris Wertz, Founding Partner, Version One Ventures, said, “Pluto Mobility is taking a fundamentally different approach to last-mile delivery by designing vehicles specifically for throughput and operational reliability.”

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