Reflections on FADA’s 5th Finance & Insurance Summit, 7th Dealership Excellence Awards 2026 and the 3rd Dealer Satisfaction Study (DSS 2026) for Finance & Insurance Companies

Dear Friends,

There is an old saying that while we cannot control the weather, we can certainly control how prepared we are for it. The same holds true for our industry. Markets fluctuate, regulations evolve, customer expectations continue to change, and technology is reshaping the automobile retail landscape. Yet, dealerships that prepare, adapt and collaborate are best positioned to navigate change and create sustainable growth.

As India’s automobile retail market moves upwards of the landmark three crore annual vehicle sales, the opportunities and challenges across vehicle finance, dealer funding, EV lending, motor insurance and digital financial services have assumed greater significance. Against this backdrop, FADA hosted its 5th Finance & Insurance Summit, bringing together stakeholders from across the automotive finance and insurance ecosystem to deliberate on the road ahead.

The timing of the summit was particularly significant. India’s vehicle financing market is estimated to have grown to nearly ?2.65 lakh crore in FY26, up from around ?2.4 lakh crore in FY25, while the motor insurance market has expanded to approximately ?1.25 lakh crore from ?1.12 lakh crore a year earlier. This growth has further strengthened the role of automobile dealerships as one of the country’s largest physical distribution channels for financial products.

During my Presidential Address at the summit, I shared an analogy that reflects the interdependence of our ecosystem. If an automobile dealership were a human body, the OEM would be its heart, finance its bloodstream, insurance its immune system, and the dealer its face—the face every customer trusts. None can function effectively in isolation. A healthy automotive ecosystem depends on strong partnerships, shared accountability and an unwavering commitment to the customer. These principles continue to guide FADA’s engagement with policymakers, OEMs, financial institutions, insurance companies and, most importantly, our dealer members.

This spirit of collaboration was evident throughout the summit, which brought together leading voices from banking, finance, insurance and automobile retail to discuss the future of mobility finance and customer protection.

We were honoured to have Dr Pankaj Kanchan Rajesh Bhoyar, Minister of State for Home (Rural), Maharashtra, as the Chief Guest.

The summit featured 26 speakers across seven sessions, attracted over 400 participants, and was supported by 17 partners, making it one of FADA's most impactful knowledge forums to date.

I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to our distinguished speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their invaluable insights and perspectives with our participants. My heartfelt thanks to: Mr Raul Rebello, MD & CEO, Mahindra Finance; Dr Rajan Pental, Executive Director, Yes Bank; Mr Abhinav Garg, Head Product & Partnership Governance, AU Small Finance Bank; Mr Baneswar Banerjee, SVP & Business Head- Automotive Loans. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd; Ms Gurveen Bedi, Senior Vice President, Spinny; Mr Gurpreet Singh, Dy General Manager, The New India Assurance Co Ltd; Mr Neelakantan N, Executive Director, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd; Mr Puneet Dhawan, Business Head -Two-wheeler & Car Loans- Tata Capital Limited; Mr Ravi Krishnamoorthi - Group President Rosmerta Technologies Ltd; Mr Rohit Daga, Head - Motor Insurance, Extended Warranty and AutoNinja, ICICI Lombard General Insurance; Mr Rishabh Sanghi, Chairperson FADA GenX; Mr Subhasish Mazumder, President & Head - Motor Distribution, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd; Mr Suraj Vasudev, Head – OEM & Digital Partnerships, SBI General Insurance Co Ltd; Mr Vikas Mediratta, Head-MISP, Mahindra Insurance Brokers Limited (MIBL); Mr Bharat Chordia, FADA Executive Committee & Governing Council; Mr Manish Raj Singhania, Chairman, FADA Academy & Research; and Dr Sachin Shah, Governing Council Member-FADA.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to our esteemed partners, whose support and collaboration were instrumental in making this summit a grand success. My heartfelt thanks to all our partners for their continued trust in FADA and its vision viz., Platinum Partner: Spinny; Gold Partner: Rosmerta Technologies Ltd; Silver Partners: ICICI Lombard; IDFC First Bank Ltd; IFFCO Tokio; Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd (MMFSL) and Bronze Partners: Bajaj General Insurance Co. Ltd; Chola MS General Insurance; IndusInd General Insurance; Kotak Mahindra Prime Limited; Madhu's Garage Equipment P Ltd; Mahindra Insurance Broker Ltd (MIBL); RM Insurance Broking P Ltd; Shriram General Insurance Company; State Bank of India General Insurance; Tata Capital Ltd.

Following the successful conclusion of the Finance & Insurance Summit, we had the privilege of presenting the seventh edition of the FADA Dealership Excellence Awards 2026. Widely regarded as the "Oscars" of the Indian automobile retail industry, these prestigious awards celebrate and recognise dealerships that exemplify excellence in performance, innovation, customer service and operational excellence.

This year, based on over 800 entries received from dealerships across India, the awards honoured 39 winners across 20 categories, celebrating the achievements of exceptional dealerships that continue to set new benchmarks in performance, innovation and customer experience.

I would also like to place on record my sincere appreciation and gratitude to our esteemed Jury Members, whose valuable time, expertise and commitment supported us through the rigorous evaluation process. My heartfelt thanks to - Mr Puneet Gupta, Director – India & ASEAN markets, Mobility Global; Mr Hemal N Thakkar, Senior Practice Leader and Senior Director, Crisil Ltd; Dr Manohar Bhat, Professor & Area Chair (Marketing), Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi; Mr Raman Kumar Sharma, Senior Advisor, ASDC; Mr Shapur Kotwal, Deputy Director, Autocar and Mr Dilip Chenoy, Chairperson, Bharat Web3 Association (BWA) for their invaluable contribution in making the awards process robust, transparent and credible.

The coveted Dealer of the Year 2026 award was conferred upon Mr Punit Parwani, Director, GK Group, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, in recognition of his outstanding leadership, exemplary performance and unwavering commitment to dealership excellence.

Another, key highlight of the event was the presentation of the awards based of the 3rd edition of the FADA Dealer Satisfaction Study Survey report 2026 on Finance & Insurance Companies. The report is based on feedback from over 500 dealerships across India. The study recorded improved dealer satisfaction across wholesale finance, retail finance and insurance, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen commercial vehicle (CV) finance training and expand funding support for the used-vehicle market.

Sharing the key findings during my Presidential Address, I urged dealer friends to adopt two essential practices—monthly reconciliation of all payouts & commissions; and continuous investment in training their F&I teams. Today, F&I income is no longer merely "the icing on the cake"; it has become a "load-bearing wall" of dealership viability.

Presenting the key findings of the study, Mr Rahul Sharma, Director & COO, PremonAsia, (our Singapore based knowledge partners)- highlighted several priorities identified by dealers. These included greater transparency and demand-led funding in wholesale finance, faster transmission of interest rate reductions, stronger funding solutions for used vehicles, simpler reconciliation processes, quicker insurance claim settlements, and better protection of dealer-led customer relationships. He emphasized that addressing these areas through continued collaboration between dealers, financiers and insurers will be critical to further strengthening the automotive retail ecosystem.

The summit concluded with the DSS'26 Awards, recognising 10 finance and insurance partners for their outstanding performance across four categories—Insurance, Retail Finance, Wholesale Finance, and Captive Wholesale Finance. The awards celebrated excellence in finance disbursements, insurance policy issuance, customer service and claims turnaround. FADA reaffirmed its commitment to building published service commitments to ensure the "India Growth Story" remains unhindered by operational bottlenecks

Policy advocacy continues to remain one of FADA’s foremost priorities, as we work towards creating a more transparent, consistent and enabling business environment for the automobile retail ecosystem.

During the month, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) issued an important circular clarifying the affixation of High Security Registration Plates (HSRPs) for vehicles registered prior to 1 April 2019. This long-awaited clarification addresses an issue that FADA has consistently represented before the Ministry and reinforces the need for a uniform implementation framework across States and Union Territories. Following the issuance of the circular, FADA promptly shared detailed guidance with its members to facilitate clarity and seamless compliance.

FADA also made representations to MoRTH regarding concerns raised by certain Regional Transport Offices seeking payment of full motor vehicle tax on vehicles registered under the BH Series. We remain committed to ensuring that the objective of progressive policy reforms is upheld while addressing operational challenges and avoiding unintended hardships for vehicle owners and dealers through timely and constructive engagement with stakeholders.

The nationwide rollout of E20 fuel drew considerable public attention this month, with claims around fuel efficiency and engine health circulating widely on social media. The Government has clarified that older, non-compliant vehicles may see a marginal drop in efficiency and may need replacement of certain rubber and plastic components, but that the fuel does not damage engines. Anchored in this verified guidance from MoRTH, MHI, oil marketing companies and manufacturers, FADA has launched a nationwide consumer awareness initiative — standees at close to 30,000 dealerships, showrooms and workshops, training for frontline and service teams, and sustained communication on our social media handles. The Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme is central to the India Growth Story, and a transition of this scale succeeds only when the customer understands it.

Knowledge sharing and capability building continue to be equally important. The FADA Academy, under the leadership of Mr Manish Raj Singhania, Chairman – FADA Academy & Research, organised an exclusive Expert Preview Session for members on "Data-Driven Decision Making in Business for Auto Retail Leaders." The session, conducted by renowned data visualisation expert Mr. Kishore Jashnani, demonstrated how dealerships can leverage data to improve operational efficiency, profitability and customer experience. As our industry becomes increasingly digital, developing analytical capabilities will be a key differentiator for successful dealerships.

Equally encouraging has been the continued engagement of our State Chapters with members across the country. FADA Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of Chairperson Mr. Ashish Pande, continued its efforts towards strengthening dealer engagement through a series of Townhall Meetings across the state. Three such meetings were organised to facilitate direct interaction with dealer members and understand their concerns at the grassroots level.

The first Townhall was held at Satna with Regional Director Mr. Ashish Puri, bringing together dealers from Satna, Rewa and Katni. The second was organised at Gwalior with Regional Director Mr. Shyam Gupta, with participation from dealers representing Gwalior, Shivpuri, Bhind and Morena. The third Townhall was conducted at Chhindwara, with dealers from Chhindwara and Seoni in attendance.

As we move ahead, our objective remains unchanged—to build an ecosystem where policy supports growth, partnerships foster innovation, knowledge empowers businesses and every dealer is equipped to meet the expectations of tomorrow's customer. FADA will continue to engage constructively with governments, OEMs, financial institutions and all industry stakeholders while remaining firmly committed to representing the interests of our members.

I thank each one of you for your continued trust, participation and support. Together, through collaboration, preparedness and shared purpose, we will continue to strengthen India's automobile retail industry and create greater value for every stakeholder in the mobility ecosystem.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

C S Vigneshwar
President - FADA