evo India Podcast

Joel Joseph is the man behind the fastest drag car, fastest ITC race car and some of the fastest tuned street cars in the country. Ed Sirish Chandran caught up with the founder of Race Concepts to talk:

👉 How he built the all-conquering turbo-charged Honda City VTEC for the ITC races

👉 Building the 400bhp (at the wheel!) turbo-City for the street

👉 The 180bhp Zen modification, and what all can be done to the Maruti Suzuki Zen (Esteem engine is best, he says) plus the costs

👉 Working on a turbo for the KTM390Duke

👉 Turbo-charged Accord for the drag races

👉 Souping up a Tempo Traveller!

👉 Restoring old cars like the VW Beetle and E30 3 Series

👉 Plans for the R2-spec Cedia for rally

👉 Brake, suspension and body upgrades to handle increased power 👉 And much more

A must watch for car and bike enthusiasts, just to learn what all can be done to your road car to make it faster, safer and much more fun!

"Watch this space" says Toyota India's senior VP for sales and aftersales when Ed Sirish Chandran asks him about the possibility of the Supra launching in India. Naveen also highlights why India should focus on hybrid power trains and revert to the pre-GST tax structure, talks about the demise of the Etios, Liva and Corolla Altis, hints at a new variant of the Yaris to give Etios customers an upgrade, the progress of the Suzuki-Toyota partnership and much more.

After the lockdown was extended by another 17 days and that can only mean more stress for car dealers but Naveen says they've made every effort to ensure that "Covid is not a bad word for our dealers". He details the efforts made by Toyota on this front.

The man in the driver's seat at MG Motor India talks to us about product plans including:

👉 Gloster that is coming to India around Diwali and hinting at pricing anwhere between Rs 40 to 80 lakh

👉 G10 MPV that is plannned for next year

👉 Hector Plus which is coming soon

👉 Delays due to Covid19 that will delay launches by 4-6 weeks

👉 Compact sub-4 meter cars planned for next 2-3 years

👉 Enormous reception to the ZS EV

👉 Plans to bring a small, compact sportscar to connect with MG's heritage

👉 Address the China issue ("leaving politics to the politicians")

👉 And much more!

Products, the business, support to dealers ("we want to be their friend in tough times") and much more in this InstaLive with editor Sirish Chandran

One of the prime movers and shakers of Indian motorsport, Sanjay Sharma talks to Ed Sirish Chandran on 👉 Who he considers to be India's greatest racing driver (Narain Karthikeyan) & why

👉 His greatest rally driver (Hari Singh)

👉 The genius talent that is Gaurav Gill 👉 The MRF vs JK rivalry ("Yellow lightning strikes red thunder", a tag line he's most proud of)

👉 Why the FMSCI does not have any young blood on the council (the fault of the member clubs)

👉 What will happen to Indian motorsport after the Covid19 situation ("big names like MRF, VW, Mahindra and JK will continue, others will not")

👉 How he got his break in motorsport

👉 The origin of the mantra, Win or Loose, We Booze

👉 Bring Formula 3 F3 cars to India

👉 Continuing and expanding the Suzuki2wheeler Gixxer Cup with 250s this year

👉 Supporting the X1 racing league

👉 And much more

Did you know that one Urus is delivered every week in India? That 5 Aventdaor SVJ have been delivered in India, including an SVJ 63 and more are on the way? That the Urus, rather than eating into sportscars has actually grown sales of the Huracan & Aventador? That India is a strategic market for Lamborghini and that's why the Urus, Huracan Evo and Huracan Evo RWD were launched in India immediately after their global unveil? That the south in general and Bengaluru in particular is the largest market for Lamborghini in India? And that the average age of their customer is between 25-45?

All this and more in this latest edition of #evoConversations with the head of Lamborghini in India, Sharad Agarwal, in the InstaLive with ed Sirish Chandran

When will the GLS come to India? Launch plans for A-Class Limousine & GLA showcased at Auto Expo 2020? Response to the just-launched GLE, growth of the AMG business in India (50% growth despite the slowdown last year), A35 AMG, and much more in this chat with Mercedes-Benz India boss Martin Schwenk.

Speaking to Sirish Chandran, Martin Schwenk also talks about how they're dealing with the new challenges, working from home and his 3-car dream MercedesBenz garage 👉 GLS, C-Class Cabriolet & GT R.

Skoda India's director for sales, marketing and after sales, Zac Hollis, talks to editor Sirish Chandran about the ed's favourite car 👉 the OctyRS. Zac confirms that only 3 cars of the RS 245 are available, all in blue, so hurry if you're keen on owning one of the nicest FWD enthusiast cars out there 👉 Zac also answers viewers questions about upcoming cars: the Karoq, the Kamiq, the VisionIN SUV (next year), the next gen Octavia (and the iv RS), the Rapid TSI with the 1.0 turbo-petrol engine (6-speed auto to come later in the year), support extended to dealers to sustain their business during lockdown, service improvements and much more 👉 A candid and revealing interview on the Skoda India game plan

Will Volkswagen India bring an electric SUV to India? What are the plans for the Taigun mid-size SUV? What are the confidence levels for the India 2.0 project? The motorsport plans for India? How is the brand re-shaping itself for 🇮🇳 and much more! Ed Sirish Chandran caught up with Steffen Knapp, director of VW passenger cars India to talk upcoming cars, SUVs, even the Golf and importantly what VW are doing on the Covid19 situation in terms of making medial equipment, providing aid & even supporting dealers and partners. All this and more (safety, new TSI engines, design etc) in this Podcast

Tata Motors VP of design, Pratap Bose talks to ed Sirish Chandran on the life of an automotive designer in these days of the lockdown and how he is managing the Tata Motors design team of 180 people spread across the UK, Italy and India. In the latest #evoConversations he talks 👉 Tata Motors' Auto Expo stars including the Sierra EV concept, HBX concept, Winger, Prima and more 👉 WFH and managing a team spanning three locations and 180 members 👉 Careers in automotive design, design colleges, how to prepare your portfolio and more 👉 His design inspirations - people, brands and even architecture 👉 Engaging kids and young designers during the Covid-19 crisis 👉 And much more! A must watch conversation with one of India's best know and most inspiring automotive designers.

Jatin Ahuja set up Big Boy Toyz from scratch and today they are India's largest seller of pre-owned luxury, sports and exotic cars. He talks to Ed, Sirish Chandran on the (used) exotic market, the prices for used Bentleys vs Rolls-Royce, how much he sold a Ferrari F12 for, the most affordable 911, and even bikes!

Listen to him talk about:

👉 His entrepreneurial journey

👉 Business goals

👉 Big Boy Toyz expansion

👉 Affordable exotics

👉 Connection with music industry

👉 Bulk car deals

👉 Big Boys Toyz bike section

👉 Service and warranty for exotics cars

👉 Customer relations

.

This is a must listen conversation for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, and expecially if you dream of owning an exotic one day