BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts: We’re in the last week of 2024, so it’s about time we look back at the year that was for the Indian automotive enthusiast. We’ve been doing this thread for a couple of years now and it’s always fun to read about the different stuff that BHPians have done. So, let’s take some time out and reflect upon the year and pen down our review of the year 2024. As usual, I’m going to mention highlights in 2 categories -Personally how the year was for me as an automotive enthusiastThe big developments in the Indian car scene of 2024Exciting cars! It’s been a great year for the automotive industry with so many new important launches. Thankfully, got to drive most of the cars across segments right from the Maruti Swift to the Mercedes G63 AMG. Was feeling left out because I didn’t get to drive the new Dzire, but I’ll be driving that soon, so ending the year on a high. One of the highlight drives was the Skoda Kylaq camouflaged drive which was a great experience. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reveal much about the car, but we got to drive it at the CoASTT High-Performance Centre in Coimbatore. I loved the track and enjoyed writing about it too (link to thread). Getting better at clicking pictures: Being an amateur photographer, it’s always good to see some progress in your own work. When I compare some of the pictures that I clicked this year vs last year, I definitely can make out certain improvements. I used to struggle with car tracking and panning shots, so glad to see major improvements in those areas. Still trying to get better at cornering shots, so that’s the focus for improvement in 2025. Road trips: There are quite a few places around Bombay that are just perfect for weekend trips, so this year explored some of the experimental weekend stays. Some were excellent, some were underwhelming, but all in all, it’s always fun to explore nature outside of the city. Finally took the M2M Alibaug ferry as well. The Swift has been a constant companion and performed exceptionally well. Even got rear-ended once (link to thread). Enjoying Bombay: The city never sleeps and always has something to offer. From horse racing at Mahalakshmi Race Course to chilling at Cat caf studio. From attending a candlelight concert to just witnessing some incredible artwork at art houses. Bombay has an incredible culture and the city never ceases to amaze. Looking forward to exploring the city. From a personal front, jumping on to the developments in the Indian car scene Fight for the #2 Spot: I think the biggest highlight has been for our homegrown manufacturers nailing their launches this year. Tata began this year with the Punch EV which I had no expectations from, but was blown away by the car. It was followed by the Curvv (EV and ICE). Both are nicely done cars but have their limitations. On the other hand, we have Mahindra which came out with the Thar Roxx and went on to win the Team-BHP Car of the Year award. Mahindra also unveiled two very futuristic electric vehicles, the BE 6 and the XEV 9e that will go on sale next year. Both Tata and Mahindra along with Hyundai are in contention for the second spot in sales and given what we’ve seen this year, the battle is only going to get more exciting. Maruti gets its first 5-star GNCAP: Even more exciting than pulling a rabbit out of the hat, Maruti came out with a shocker of a 5-star GNCAP rating for the 2024 Dzire. It’s the first ever Maruti car to score a 5-star safety rating. With that bar set high, hopefully, we’ll see safer cars in the budget segment. Mergers: We’ve seen automotive companies form coalitions to strengthen their presence in certain markets. The most recent one we’ve been seeing is the Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi merger that might happen. But that’s international, we did see a merger between JSW and MG Motors India this year which has laid out some very interesting goals. One of the exciting promises is the MG Cyberster which is set for launch in 2025. There were also talks of Mahindra & Skoda Auto VW India coming together, but as per the recent reports, they have failed to reach a consensus over the terms of a proposed joint venture. Something for the enthusiasts: As enthusiasts, we’re always on the lookout for cars that pull the heartstrings. This year, there were a few cars that were focused on enthusiasts like the Tata Altroz Racer, BYD Seal (0-100 in 3.8 seconds!), Mahindra Thar Roxx, Force Gurkha 5-door, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and more. R.I.P. Mr. Ratan Tata: The entire automotive industry mourned the passing of Mr. Ratan Tata. His contributions to the automotive industry are limitless. These were some of my highlights of the year 2024. Looking forward to reading what BHPians think of the developments in the Indian Car Scene as well as some of their personal highlights! Here’s what BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR had to say on the matterSome highlights from the industry this year, IMHO: The epic rise of the Indian mid-segment motorcycle – the 400cc to 650cc class: This year i was shockingly surprised by the quality of motorcycles now locally manufactured in India and made available in the 400cc class. The Triumph Speed 400, the Aprilia RS 457, the Triumph Scrambler 400X, the Royal Enfield Himlayan 450, the BSA Gold Star 650, the Royal Enfield Classic 350, the Duke 390, Bajaj Pulsar 400Z, the upcoming KTM 390 Adventure… Damn impressive and enough motorcycle for anyone and everyone. The epic fall of the Japanese followed by recovery signs: I have been of the opinion that the Japanese have been heavily ignoring the Indian market for long. This year showed that even more. The only major manufacturer missing a single entry in our bike of the year awards with almost 28 contenders was Honda, the market leader failed to launch a single new product this year and runs a series of flops under their premium range. However, December showed some hope with them announcing five new bikes at a dealer meet – including the CB1000 Hornet which could disrupt the segment. So a pathetic showing in 2024, but looking forward to 2025. Same goes with Maruti Suzuki- a brand which has been the industry leader in India for as long as I’ve been alive has lost ~15% marketshare in the last two years and also now believed to be dethroned from the best-selling car throne this year after almost three decades? Taxi image, lack of diesel, proper automatics and most importantly safety to blame. However, last month brought hope in the form of the new DZire – so once again looking forward to 2025 despite a pathetic showing in 2024. Mahindra, take a bow! Thar Roxx, BE 6E – shockingly brilliant products from the Indian brand. TATA isn’t too far behind either – but I believe Mahindra made a historic leap forward in 2024. Inflation resulting in more enthusiasts shifting focus to bikes: Lets face it, cars are becoming very expensive, more bogged down by emission norms and loaded with beeps and groans. Toll rates are increasing, NGT bans are decreasing lifespan, and future resale values are a question mark with such unpredictability. Although inflation has affected bikes as well, they still remain far more affordable for the average enthusiasts. I feel more and more of my friends and slowly giving preferences to their bikes over cars. Anyone else feel so? Moving on to some personal highlights: Learning Experiences: Most important highlight for me this year was that I got to spend time to improve my skills (though still a long way to go!). Started the year with California Superbike School, attended Triumph Training Academy mid year and finished the year with School of Dirt Full Experience Program. I hope to continue this learning streak in 2025 as well, with some programs for cars too hopefully! Less reviews, but enjoyable ones nevertheless: I could manage to do only four reviews this year, hoping and excited to to try more vehicles next year – cars and bikes both. Highlight for last year was the bikes though- i got to review three blockbusters in 2024: The Royal Enfield Himlayan, the Aprilia RS 457 and the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450. The Aprilia review also got me a chance to ride with a MotoGP class rider – Lorenzo Savadori. Roadtrips with all vehicles, big, fast, small and slow: Had multiple trips this year – car, bike, scooter – if i own it, it will do That said, I had no major roadtrips up north in 2024 – something I hope to fix in 2025. Garage churn: This year saw the Yamaha Aerox 155 and the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 move out of my garage. A pre-owned bike has made its way in, to officially join my other vehicles in the first weeks of 2025. Farewell to these two and thank you! Here;s what BHPian //M hda to say on the matterThe two major automotive highlights for me in 2024 :Riding to Adi Kailash on my Triumph Tiger 800, which was long pending in my bucket list.Getting home a Toyota Hilux on Dussehra this year which was again a dream, only made possible by the massive discounts on offer. This was more special as it is the first “new” car I have bought, the previous Honda CR-V 2.4 AWD, VW Vento 1.6 MPI & VW Jetta Highline TDI DSG being pre-owned acquisitions. I still have the Jetta and plan to keep it for as long as I can. Here’s what BHPian Maverick Avi had to say on the matter:Post 2018, due to a medical condition my travelling and driving had become limited. The existing cars were proving to be very painful and I used to just dread driving on anything other than plain and smooth tarmac. In 2020 I bought Wagon R AMT and who would have imagined that it would become my saviour. It’s soft suspension, good overall seating postion and convenience of an automatic helped me get back my confidence to drive longer. In 2024, I was able to do 16 hrs drives in a day which I had never imagined I would be able to do. What an under rated car, Wagon R!! Hope Maruti comes up with its 5 star rated facelift and I’ll be the first one to book! Also bought myself a DJI mini 4 pro which will push me to plan more trips in 2025!!Here’s what BHPian nova.19_exe had to say on the matter:Well, it’s been a really good year for me, so here goes:Took a few pictures of the Elantra, we had none, but yeah I plan on taking a lot more.The most important one, procured my LL and now riding different bikes to get a hang of everything. Still tryna master the clutch play part, after that, it’s all about going easyExperienced different cars and bikes all in all..Experienced a tuned car for the first time in my life, damn that sounded mad..Met a whole lot of other enthusiasts, discussed about a lot of cars and bikes overall.This year has been great with a lots of ups and downs, a lot of learnings on the way. Going to head into 2025 with a positive attitude and hopefully get to do some road trips and drive some crazy machines!!Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information,
