DRIVING THE FUTURE

A candid road interview with Tarun Garg, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India

- RAMESH SOMANI

BBC TopGear India's Editor, Ramesh Somani, took the wheel with the man of the moment, Tarun Garg, the first Indian to lead Hyundai Motor India Ltd, for an exclusive drive in the new Hyundai Venue. As the roads of Goa rolled by, the conversation touched on Hyundai's new product wave, the growing dominance of SUVs, and the future of electric mobility in India.

THE INTERVIEW

Ramesh Somani: Today, we have with us the new MD and CEO designate of Hyundai Motor India. Tarun, congratulations on this massive milestone.

Tarun Garg: Thank you, Ramesh. It is a huge honour to be the first Indian in this role. It also comes with a big responsibility. I believe if you keep doing the right things, you will reach the right destination.

RS: You are driving the all-new Venue, which I cannot speak much about yet because of the embargo. Tell us how it feels.

TG: This car has many firsts. It is the first of our 26 new launches planned till FY30 as part of Hyundai's second growth phase in India. It is also our first software-defined vehicle in India with up to 20 ECU controllers. The 12.3-inch CCNC infotainment display and the 12.3-inch digital cluster in this curved layout look fantastic. The performance is strong too. The car is gorgeous.

RS: It definitely looks like more for the money. How important does insurance become in this space?

TG: Very important. Especially in EVs, where customers are concerned about battery life, resale and long-term reliability. Insurance providers must address these through aggressive and confidence-building policies. The good thing is that EV owners are very happy overall, and from a cost-of-ownership point of view, EVs make complete sense.

RS: We still have not seen ageing EVs in India. None has crossed the five-year point in big numbers yet.