‘Safe, Efficient & Sustainable: Shaping Tomorrow’s Mobility’ – A Resounding Success

Dear Friends,

Auto Summit 2025 was truly the best edition yet, with over 1800 participants gracing the event. The event featured more than 75 esteemed speakers and 20+ insightful sessions, each carefully designed to illuminate critical aspects of the automotive ecosystem.
This year’s theme, “Safe, Efficient & Sustainable: Shaping Tomorrow’s Mobility,” ensured that our industry’s progress aligns with our responsibility toward society and the environment.

1. Safety

With greater vehicle penetration and an ever-expanding customer base, road safety must remain our top priority. From integrating advanced safety features in vehicles to advocating for enhanced driver education and better road infrastructure, we can transform safety from a mere regulatory requirement into a holistic culture. Globally, we see such efforts through Vision Zero in Sweden, focused on eliminating road fatalities, and EU safety regulations mandating advanced driver-assistance systems. Closer to home, FADA pledges to collaborate with the government, OEMs, and other stakeholders to champion best practices in every dealership and community.

2. Efficiency

In a digital era defined by swift technological advancements, efficiency is the key to thriving in a competitive marketplace. We can take inspiration from Toyota’s lean manufacturing principles—a model that has set global benchmarks for operational excellence. By similarly leveraging data analytics, AI-driven tools, and streamlined processes, we can reduce overheads, accelerate service delivery, and refine customer experiences. This not only boosts operational efficiency but also leads to higher customer satisfaction, reinforcing our status as a people-centric industry.

3. Sustainability

As concerns around climate change and environmental stewardship intensify, it is imperative that we adopt cleaner technologies and greener operating models. Around the world, countries like Norway have showcased high EV adoption rates, and companies like Tesla have accelerated global interest in electric vehicles. These examples illustrate how swiftly consumer mindsets can shift toward sustainable mobility when infrastructure, policy, and innovation converge.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to our Hon'ble Minister of Heavy Industries, Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy, who, despite his busy schedule, graciously took the time to join us as our Chief Guest and share his insightful thoughts.

Shri Kumaraswamy emphasized that India’s automotive sector is at a pivotal juncture, with a unique opportunity to lead in innovation and sustainable mobility. Through initiatives like PLI, FAME-II, and PM E-DRIVE, he highlighted the role of collaboration among manufacturers, dealers, innovators, and policymakers in driving growth, addressing consumer needs, and tackling global challenges such as climate resilience and safety.

We are also grateful to the Hon'ble Union Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari ji, for joining us virtually from Nagpur as our Guest of Honour. His words of encouragement for the auto dealer community were truly inspiring.

Friends, prior to the event, I, along with Mr Sai Giridhar, Vice President FADA, Mr Amar Jatin Sheth, Secretary FADA, Mr Pradeep Agarwal, Treasurer FADA, and Mr Saharsh Damani, CEO FADA, had the privilege of visiting Shri Gadkari ji at his residence in New Delhi. During our visit, we presented him with a stole, Memento and a Citation, recognizing his immense contributions to improving India’s infrastructure and the roads across the country. His efforts in developing world-class highways have not only enhanced vehicle sales but also played a critical role in improving safety and facilitating smoother business operations for dealerships, thereby benefiting customers as well.

In his formal address at the Auto Summit, Gadkari ji acknowledged FADA’s 60 years of dedication to the growth of the auto retail industry and the promotion of road safety. He emphasized that road safety remains a top priority and shared details about the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways’ "Cashless Treatment" scheme for road accident victims, offering coverage of up to ?1.5 lakh for seven days of treatment. This initiative is a significant step towards ensuring swift medical care and reducing financial burdens for victims.

Additionally, Shri Gadkari expressed his commitment to promoting alternative fuels such as ethanol, methanol, and green hydrogen, with the goal of reducing India’s reliance on fossil fuels. These efforts not only support cleaner energy but also contribute to reducing pollution, boosting rural economies, and benefiting farmers. He urged all stakeholders in the automotive industry to come together and work toward the advancement of green highways, electric mobility, and the expansion of charging infrastructure.

I am delighted to share that during the inaugural session, we launched two significant whitepapers:

a) Future of Auto Dealerships: Safe, Efficient & Sustainable in partnership with Nomura Research Institute Consulting & Solution Pvt Ltd; and b) META India Whitepaper in collaboration with FADA, on the theme, “Shift Gears: A Guide to Driving Demand for India’s Automotive Industry.”

The Auto Summit 2025 also saw the recognition of two distinguished individuals for their contributions to the automotive sector: a) Mr Rajeev Chaba, CEO Emeritus, JSW MG Motor India, for his outstanding role in promotion of Automobile Industry & Trade; and b) Mr John K Paul, Past President, FADA & Whole-time Director of Popular Vehicles & Services Ltd and Director of Popular Mega Motors (India) Ltd was conferred with the award for Exemplary Contribution to Automobile Retail Industry.

Further, Mr Pradeep Agarwal, Treasurer of FADA, announced the launch of FADA’s new Two-Wheeler Vertical, which aims to address the unique concerns of the two-wheeler segment and introduce programs that will benefit the dealer community in this space.
I would like to place on record our profound gratitude to everyone for their invaluable contributions, both throughout the buildup to the FADA Auto Summit and during the event itself.

The trials and tribulations this time around due to the challenges in schedules of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo were considerable. However, for the first time, we were able to organize exclusive visit for auto dealers to the Global Auto Expo on January 17, 2025- the same day when the Expo was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and is generally only for media. More than 1200 passes were issued to dealers for this visit, and I would like to commend the efforts of the FADA Secretariat, as their dedication ensured that everything was executed smoothly. FADA also secured exclusive passes for the inaugural session for a select number of Dealers.

We are truly grateful to all the hard work put in securing partnerships, inviting speakers, driving attendance, and managing numerous other facets of the event. A special thanks goes to the state chairpersons and their regional directors who brought so much energy into the event contributing greatly to its success. We look forward to your support, both now and in the future.

I must extend my congratulations to GenX and WiF, under the stewardships of Rishabh Sanghi, Chairman- FADA GenX and Rashmi Kale, Chairperson-Woman in FADA (WiF), who have infused interests and participation from the youth and the women respectively. The response has been truly phenomenal. The two verticals are contributing to FADA staying relevant to the industry and its people who matter more than most. We look forward to collaborating with you to further enhance the future of auto retail.

I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to our distinguished speakers for taking the time to share their valuable insights and perspectives with us - Mr H D Kumaraswamy, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India; Mr Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India; Mr Saugato Bhowmik, Director, CPG & D2C, Automotive, Meta India; Mr Kartick V Nagpal, President - Rosmerta Group; Mr Harshvardhan Sharma , Head - Auto Retail Practice, Nomura Research Institute Consulting & Solution Pvt Ltd; Mr Diego Graffi, Chairman & Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles P Ltd; Mr Mohan Savarkar, VP & Chief Product Officer, Tata Motors Ltd; Mr Munish Dayal, Senior President, SK Finance Ltd; Mr Rajinder Singh Sachdeva, Dy. Chief Executive Officer & Chief Transformation Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd; Mr Ranjivjit Singh,Chief Business Officer- Indian Business Unit, Hero MotoCorp Ltd; Mr Sumit Bali, Country Head Retail Assets & Debt Management, YES Bank Ltd; Mr Tushar Dhimar, Head - Retail Lines Underwriting, SBI General Insurance Pvt Ltd; Mr Ashish Pande, Chairperson, FADA MP & Director, OM Auto & Sons; Mr Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India; Ms Kavita Himatsingka, Chairperson, Mukesh Himatsingka Group, West Bengal; Mrs M Radha Harshavardhan, Director, Harsha Auto Group; Dr Ranjana Bansal, Managing Director, Ashok Auto Sales Ltd, Agra; Ms Pema YK Loyi, Managing Director, Iconic Automobiles; Mrs Rashmi Kale, Chairperson WIF & Director, Jaika Automobiles P Ltd; Mr Abhishek Goel, Executive Director, Himgiri Automobiles; Dr. Elisha Thanawala, Partner & Dealer Principal, Strong Wings Honda; Ms Gandhali Niwal, Operations Manager, Parvati Automobiles & Director, Ather Yavatmal; Mr Udai Raj Chordia, Head of Operations, Khivraj Elixir Pvt. Ltd; Mr Yatidharan Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, Nagaur Automobiles P Ltd; Mr Rishabh Sanghi, Chairman FADA GenX & Director, JS Fourwheel Motors; Mr Vaibhav Phadtare, Client Partner, Automotive & D2C, Meta India; Ms Smriti Nisha Singh, CSM - Auto D2C, Meta India; Mr Hemal N Thakkar, Senior Practice Leader & Director - Consulting CRISIL Market Intelligence & Analytics; Mr Nikhil B, Deputy Managing Director, Madhus Garage Equipment P Ltd; Mr Rajeev Mehta, Executive Vice President- SME Business,Vodafone Idea Business; Mr Naveen Chauhan, Co- Founder & Mr Harish Kothari, Co- Founder, SpareCare; Mr Anil Kumar Dhingra, Head - Aftermarket (Parts & Service), Ashok Leyland Ltd; Mr Gurbinder Singh Dhillon, Managing Director, Orbitsys Technologies Pvt Ltd; Mr Hardeep Singh Brar, Sr. Vice President & Head of Marketing & Sales, Kia India Pvt Ltd; Mr Anil Shekhar, National Head Strategic Network Management-Trucks, Tata Motors Ltd; Mr Saugato Bhowmik, Director, CPG, D2C, Automotive, Meta India; Mr Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO - Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd; Mr Ashutosh Varma, National Sales Head, Hero MotoCorp Ltd; Mr Ajay Agarwal, Chairperson FADA Delhi & Director, GO Auto Pvt Ltd; Ms Aditi Shah, Senior Correspondent, Reuters; Mr Manish Raj Singhania, Chairman, FADA Academy & Research; Mr Arindam Lahiri, Chief Executive Officer, ASDC; Ms Geetika Vig, Client Partner, D2C, Automotive, Meta India; Mr Raman Kumar Sharma, Senior Advisor, ASDC & Former Director, Honda Cars India; Prof BK Panigrahi, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Founder Head, Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), IIT Delhi; Dr Sunil Anand, Professor and Dean & Mr Pranjal Maheshwari, Trainer - I, Faculty of Automotive Skills, BSDU; Mr Nitin Chitkara, Chief Executive Officer, Meta Materials Circular Markets; Mr Kartick V Nagpal, President, Rosmerta Group; Mr Sourabh Agarwal, Regional Director, FADA Rajasthan & Director, Ganganagar Vehicles Pvt Ltd, Jaipur; Mr Ashok Agarwal, CEO - HEV, SUN Mobility; Mr Girdhar Bagri, Country Head – Supply Chain Finance, Business Banking, HSBC India; Mr Jan Bures, Executive Director Sales Marketing & Digital, ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited; Mr Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India Pvt Ltd; Mr Rajeev Chauhan, Head - Electric Passenger Vehicles (EPV) Business, BYD India Pvt Ltd; Mr Ravneet Singh Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy Limited; Mr Sohail Khan Pathan, Counsellor, GreenCo, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); Mr Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs & Governance),Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd; Mr Sharvik Shah, Chairperson, FADA Rajasthan & Director, Rajesh Motors (Auto) Pvt Ltd; Mr Parikshit Luthra, Editor & Bureau Chief, CNBC TV18; Mr Vivek Sahai, Sales Manager – Vehicle Refinish, India & Sri Lanka, Akzo Nobel; Mr Aaditya Gutgutia, Executive Director,DAM Capital Advisors Limited; Mr Suraj Malik, Founder & CEO, Legacy Growth; and Ms Garima Misra, FADA Executive Committee Member & Managing Director, Group Landmark.

A heartfelt gratitude to all our partners - Presenting Partner: META India; Title Partner: Rosmerta Technologies Limited; Platinum Partners: ICICI Bank Limited, SBI General Insurance Company Limited, and Tata Motors Limited; Gold Partners: HSBC India, State Bank of India, and SK Finance Ltd; Lunch Partners: Blueverse India P Ltd and Shminit India P Ltd; Silver Partners: Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd, Go Digit General Insurance Limited, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited, Madhus Garage Equipment Pvt. Ltd, Montra Electric, Sun Mobility Private Limited, Vodafone Idea Business, and Yes Bank ltd; DMS Partner: Orbitsys Technologies P Ltd; Bronze Partners: Akzo Nobel India Ltd, ATS Elgi Limited, AU Small Finance Bank Limited, Citroën India, FTA HSRP Solutions Pvt Ltd, Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited, IndusInd Bank Ltd, Jeep India, Kotak Mahindra Prime Ltd, New India Assurance, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd, Reliance General Insurance, Saraswat Co-op. Bank Ltd, Shell Helix Motor Oils, Simpleenergy Private Limited, SPARECARE, and Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited; Logo Partners: Axalta Coating Systems India Pvt Ltd, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Oil Lube Systems Pvt Ltd, Sundaram Finance, and VOLVO AUTO INDIA PVT LTD- for their unwavering support in making this event a tremendous success. Your contributions have been instrumental in ensuring its remarkable scale and impact.

A special mention goes to the secretariat under the able guidance of our CEO, Mr Saharsh Damani. The team’s attention to detail and thorough preparation of contingency plans ensured everything ran seamlessly and more importantly on time. Their dedication and effort were truly exceptional.

Of course, this is the 13th edition, every edition seems to be getting better. The 13th was indeed building in the success of the first 12, from where we did take so much to learn from and improve. I’m certain that the next editions would further raise the bar, setting benchmarks.

The Executive Committee have been the guiding compass and I’m profoundly grateful to their wisdom and leadership. From setting the tone to delivering the results. Thanks folks.

The past presidents and their support is something that FADA has always banked on and we have always been granted without expectations. They are the foundations that we are thankful to and the compass keepers of our direction ahead. Thanks gentlemen.

Words cannot fully express the effort put in by Mr Sai Giridhar, Vice President of FADA, Mr Amar Sheth, Secretary of FADA, and Mr Pradeep Agarwal, Treasurer of FADA. Their strong leadership and unwavering commitment to critically assessing situations have been instrumental in driving progress. It has truly been an honor to work alongside such a dedicated team. I have personally learned a great deal from all of you, and it has been my privilege.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you once again, and I wish you all a successful and prosperous year ahead! We will not get the ball rolling in terms of what we do best, setting the bearings right for ease of doing business for our fraternity.

Warm Regards,

C S Vigneshwar
President-FADA