evo India Podcast

Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Thrill of Driving podcast! In this reboot, we’re doing things differently — giving news a pass and instead talking about things that the Indian car enthusiast wants to talk about! To get this series of the ground, we’re going to start by telling you everything you need to know about the Volkswagen Polo in India. In this free flowing conversation, Sirish Chandran and Aatish Mishra go back to even before the Polo was launched in India to when the media drives first happened abroad. They then trace the launch of the Polo in India, the various updates and engines it has had over the years, the launch of the GT variants, and everything else right up to the BS6 era when it got its latest update with the 1.0 TSI engine. They also talk about the possibility of the new MQB-based Polo coming to India! As an Indian automotive enthusiast, this is not an episode you want to miss!

Things are looking up says Veejay Nakra, CEO of Mahindra’s Automotive division as he talks about manufacturing re-starting, dealerships opening up and new products that are in the pipeline. We also talk about new engines, EVs, motorsport, Veejay’s 25 year career at Mahindra and much more

Talking about the new normal in the luxury segment of the Indian automotive industry, with the president of the Lexus India. We talk about hybrid powertrains, how Lexus has only petrol engines in its range, expansion of the dealer network from 7 to 11 this year, local production of the ES and NX and the response to it and the synergies of Lexus India with Toyota.

Talking about the state of the Indian automotive industry, re-opening of dealerships, demand pickup, transfer of demand & more with the sales & marketing boss of Maruti Suzuki on the #evoConversations

Talking sport exhaust systems with the most iconic brand in this space, Akrapovič. We’re talking about how a performance exhaust system is developed, crafting exhaust systems out of titanium and now ceramic composites, the race activities, road car exhaust systems, distribution in India, how do you make a great sounding exhaust system and much more!