CIVICS LESSON IN SCHOOL MAY HAVE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT FIVE YEAR PLANS, BUT THEY FAILED TO POINT OUT JUST HOW INEFFECTIVE THEY ARE IN THE REAL WORLD. SO, WE NEVER MADE ONE WHEN WE STARTED AUTOX HALF-A-DECADE AGO. BUT, IT DOESN’T HURT TO TAKE STOCK OF WHERE ARE WE NOW. |
 First, let’s start with the industry. While growth rates in India are being revised downwards, and credit ratings around the world are taking a beating, the Indian auto industry can continue to look upwards in the knowledge that there’s a certain level of resilience borne from continued domestic demand – even in the face of greater global belt-tightening.
In an attempt to identify just cause, let’s look at only a handful of developments in the recent past. Hyundai has become the fastest growing automaker in the world, and the Korean giant has just launched a brand-new, made-for-India, ground-breaking small car in the form of the Eon. Tata Motors now owns the iconic Jaguar Land Rover brands through an acquisition that’s come to define ‘Reverse Raj.’ Mahindra & Mahindra recently bought out Korean manufacturer Ssangyong, and even more recently launched a truly world-class vehicle in the form of the XUV 500. Brand-new, cutting-edge manufacturing facilities and R&D centres are being set up across the country. The crème de la crème of the automotive world – the likes of Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, etc. – are looking at India as their next big market. And now, we even have our own F1 track.
So, the optimism seems well founded. Similarly, what’s holding us back is just as easy to point out (unfortunately not as easy to fix) – appalling infrastructure and corruption. That said, if we were to gaze into the crystal ball and look five years ahead, my guess is that you would see the exponential growth story continue. However, government and industry both need to be responsible at the same time. The challenge will be getting eco-friendly technology in the hands of average car buyers.
As for autoX, as long as we can continue to truly communicate and demonstrate the passion of motoring, we’ll be on the right track. If I were to make a Five Year Plan today (thankfully conventional wisdom tells me not to), I would simply say that we should go on doing what we’re doing. Thanks for joining us on the journey!
Dhruv Behl
dbehl@autox.in
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