2025 year-end quotes from Industry leaders
We invited business leaders from Indian automotive, mobility transformation, technology, consulting and education from to provide us a comment at the end of this year to discuss performance, improvements and future outlook
Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles
Policy reforms, GST 2.0, investments in logistics infrastructure under PM Gati Shakti & e-Bus Sewa and positive consumer sentiment encouraged the industry to transition towards newer, safer, and more efficient vehicles. At VECV, this evolving environment aligns with our Nayi Soch approach to driving relevant modernisation in the CV market. The year marked several important milestones, including our foray into the SCV segment with the introduction of the Eicher Pro X range in both electric and diesel variants. We also introduced electric buses for school and tarmac applications and the next-generation Pro Plus range of Light and Medium Duty Trucks with improved performance, coinciding with the transition to AC Cabins. Our MyEicher App connects over 350,000 buses and trucks and we have over 1200 touchpoints across the country with the capability to reach a majority of customer vehicles within 3-4 hours.
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group
Our SUV business led the market with record share, reaffirming our ability to anticipate what customers genuinely desire. Our farm equipment business achieved its highest ever quarterly market share, proving that innovation on the ground transforms lives. Meanwhile, our electric three-wheelers continued to dominate a highly competitive space. Tech Mahindra sharpened its edge in AI and operational excellence, delivering its eighth consecutive quarter of margin expansion, while Mahindra Finance scaled new heights, combining robust profit growth with industry-leading asset quality. Mahindra Lifespaces continued its momentum in sustainable real estate with record Gross Development Value additions and industry-first Net Zero projects. Mahindra Holidays conceptualized Mahindra Signature Resorts, marking a bold shift toward experiential travel. And Mahindra Susten continued to power India’s green transition, reinforcing its leadership in renewable energy innovation.
Vikas Singh, Managing Director, Greaves Electric Mobility
At Greaves Electric Mobility, our focus on safe and durable LFP battery technology, intelligent connected platforms tempered with proven real-world performance has allowed us to deliver products that inspire confidence and elevate everyday mobility for millions of riders. As we move into 2026, the next wave of EV adoption will be defined by growing intelligent technologies that enhances useability, deeper ecosystem integration and experiences that feel seamless and intuitive. More localised production with designs made for the varied terrain and climate of India will ensure the success of electric and clean mobility, one which is more aligned to how India moves.
Ajinkya Firodia, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Kinetic Watts & Volts Ltd.
2025 was a defining year for India’s electric-scooter journey. The industry decisively consolidated around leaders who stayed true to core scooter values – strength, reliability, service and quality – while intelligently blending modern electronics and connected features. EV penetration in scooters crossed an all-time high of 16%, and the momentum is only accelerating. Despite headwinds such as rare-earth magnet shortages, tapering subsidies and rising input costs, India’s EV makers didn’t just survive – they innovated and strengthened. The entry of global players like Tesla and VinFast further reinforced India’s position as a serious long-term EV market with enormous potential. On the broader automobile front, the reduction of GST from 28% to 18% brought renewed energy to the market. The auto industry continued its steady growth trajectory despite global conflicts, tariff uncertainties, and economic and political volatility – a testament to India’s resilience.
Harinder Singh, Managing Director & CEO, Yokohama India Pvt. Ltd
Yokohama India continues to outpace market growth in 2025, delivering double-digit growth as India's passenger vehicle market continued its structural shift toward SUVs, larger tyre fitments, and premium offerings. On the OEM side, the shift has been even more pronounced. 17-inch and above tyres, now account for nearly a quarter of OEM supply, growing rapidly as SUVs and premium vehicles redefine the fitment landscape. Aligned with evolving market needs, Yokohama India introduced 20 inch tyres manufactured in India, and the commercial rollout from our Vizag facility strengthened our manufacturing capacity at exactly the right time. This expansion supports growing replacement-market demand while also enabling our OEM strategy.
Pratik Malkan, Chairman, Lusso Designs India
At Lusso Designs, transformation is approached as a structured, end-to-end process. Our capabilities span AI-led design modelling, robotics-assisted production, advanced prototyping and lightweight composite engineering, supported by strong process control and craftsmanship. This allows OEMs and mobility partners to enhance existing platforms, accelerate development cycles and deliver differentiated products that command premium positioning while aligning with sustainability objectives. With India’s HNI and UHNI base continuing to expand, demand for bespoke and premium mobility solutions is expected to remain strong. Supported by global OEM collaborations and a focused R&D roadmap across luxury platforms, lifestyle vehicles and sustainable design concepts, Lusso Designs is well-positioned to support the industry’s next phase of growth through scalable, design-led and engineering-driven transformation.
Tarun Garg, Managing Director & CEO designate, Hyundai Motor India Limited
Hyundai CRETA journey in India is nothing short of extraordinary and achieving highest-ever annual sales of more than 2 lakhs units is a proud and defining moment for all of us at Hyundai. It is also the highest selling SUV of our country on a cumulative basis from 2020-2025. Infact, over the past 10 years of its journey in India, CRETA’s customer base has grown manifold, transforming it from a capable SUV into a trusted companion for every journey. The brand’s momentum also reflects in the rise of first-time buyers - from 13% in 2020 to an impressive 32% in 2025.
CS Vigneshwar - President FADA
2025 has been a strong recovery year for auto retail. After a solid festive season, demand continued to remain robust through November as well, with retail sales holding firm across segments. We are confident of closing the calendar year with almost double-digit growth in both two-wheeler and passenger vehicle categories. Yes, the outlook remains positive. As per our latest Dealer Satisfaction Index (December 2025), 74% of dealers across India expect good to very good growth in the next three months (Dec–Feb period). Order books are healthy, inventory levels are better managed than last year, and rural cash flows remain supportive. We urge the government to fast-track the proposed Franchisee Protection Act currently being finalised by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and DPIIT. A clear, balanced legal framework governing OEM–dealer relationships is long overdue and will provide much-needed stability to thousands of MSME dealerships across the country.
Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA)
2025 marked a decisive year for India’s space sector as policy reforms translated into tangible execution across launch, satellite manufacturing, Earth observation, space data, and satellite communications. The year saw contracts awarded, production lines established, satellites deployed, launch vehicles move closer to operational readiness, and data-driven services scale across civilian, commercial, and strategic domains. India’s space economy, currently valued at approximately USD 9 billion, is now on a clear trajectory towards USD 44 billion in the coming decade. Growth during 2025 was driven largely by private industry, enabled by policy continuity, institutional clarity and an expanding public–private partnership framework. By the end of 2025, India’s space sector had moved firmly into an execution-led phase. While challenges remain in manufacturing scale, long-term capital access, and assured demand, the year established a clear foundation for sustained growth, deeper industry participation, and India’s expanding role in the global space economy.
CP Gurnani, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, AIONOS
As we close the year, it’s clear that real progress isn’t driven by isolated breakthroughs, but by consistent intent. 2025 marked a turning point as AI moved from experimentation to enterprise execution. As we enter 2026, the convergence of AI, quantum computing, edge intelligence, and human-centric design will define a new era, one where technology scales not just businesses, but human potential. For leaders, the mandate is clear: move beyond adopting new tools and focus on aligning technology with business goals, trust, and long-term impact.
Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India
In 2025, India’s geospatial journey saw tremendous acceleration, with GIS emerging as core digital infrastructure. The rapid expansion of the geospatial analytics market signals that spatial intelligence is now deeply embedded across governance, infrastructure development, climate action, and enterprise decision-making. The convergence of GIS with AI, drone and satellite imagery, GeoAI, IoT, and big data is enabling faster, more precise, and more proactive outcomes across sectors. This shift is helping organizations move from reactive responses to predictive and scenario-driven planning, whether in urban development, agriculture, disaster management, or public service delivery. Looking ahead to 2026, living digital twins will further accelerate this transformation by providing connected, real-time views of physical assets throughout their life cycles, while detailed imagery analysis and immersive technologies such as AR and VR will reshape how teams interpret and act on spatial insights in the field.
Amit Kumar, Co-Founder and COO, Suhora Technologies
2025 has been a defining year for India’s downstream space ecosystem. As launch capacity improves and satellite constellations scale up, the real value creation is now shifting closer to applications, analytics and decision making. From agriculture and climate monitoring to infrastructure planning and national security, satellite data is steadily moving from being a niche input to a mainstream business and governance tool. What is encouraging is the growing maturity of demand, where enterprises and governments are no longer asking if space data can help but how quickly it can be operationalised. For companies like Suhora, this has reinforced the importance of building reliable intelligence layers on top of Earth observation data, focused on accuracy, speed and relevance. As we move into 2026, the opportunity lies in translating India’s space capabilities into everyday insights that solve real world problems at scale.
Pankaj Malik, CEO & Whole-time Director, Invenia-STL Networks
2025 was a year of purposeful digital transformation where the conversation shifted from mere expansion to agile performance. As we look to 2026, the industry will double down on building secure, scalable, and intelligent digital foundations. Smarter automation, stronger network resilience, and cloud architectures designed for speed and performance will define the next phase of growth. At Invenia-STL Networks, we’re partnering with enterprises to strengthen their digital core and lead an increasingly dynamic landscape. The companies that invest early in security, performance, AI adoption, and operational clarity will lead the next wave of India’s digital acceleration.
Ganesh Gopalan, Co-Founder & CEO, Gnani.ai
2025 also set the foundation for the next phase of enterprise AI adoption. Agentic AI moved from concept to capability, generative models shifted from experimentation to production impact, and enterprises began standardizing on AI systems that can reason, orchestrate, and act autonomously. As we look to 2026, this momentum accelerates. Agentic systems will become the default operating layer for customer operations, risk, and service workflows. Small Language Models and speech-to-speech architectures will drive higher precision, lower latency, and stronger compliance in regulated environments. Multimodal and real-time voice AI will unlock new interaction models, while sovereign and responsible AI frameworks will move from policy discussions to hard deployment requirements. With strong tailwinds from initiatives like the India AI Mission and growing global demand for trusted, production-grade AI, 2026 will not be about whether enterprises adopt agentic AI.
Vasudha Madhavan, Founder and CEO, Ostara Advisors
2025 proved that climate tech and climate funds have firmly shifted from aspiration to execution, reflecting a growing global commitment to solutions with measurable impact. It was also a year that reinforced the need to align innovation with long-term resilience. As we step into 2026, I expect biofuels to become a critical decarbonization lever, lithium ecosystems to grow more circular, urban mobility to evolve closer to low-carbon systems, and data centers to start moving towards energy efficiency. India will also drive the mandate for carbon emission monitoring and reporting for high-emission industries. Circularity and resource efficiency will start to evolve into central pillars of climate strategy, while climate adaptation technologies gain rapid traction. The year ahead marks a decisive transition from experimentation to wider deployment of multiple innovations from resilient energy storage to carbon-negative materials.
Sriram Kannan, Founder & CEO, Routematic
2025 was a strong year for Routematic, marked by consistent growth and measurable environmental impact. As India’s GCC ecosystem expanded and enterprises scaled multi-shift operations, employee commute became a strategic focus, accelerating the shift toward AI-led, data-driven commute solutions. Smarter routing, cleaner fleets, and employee well-being are now central to how organisations think about transport, with employee commute emerging as one of the most practical ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions and strengthen ESG outcomes. As India progresses towards its net-zero goals, growing GCC demand, will further accelerate the need for safe, technology-enabled, sustainable, shared employee commute. Looking to 2026, I am genuinely optimistic about what lies ahead for Routematic and the industry, as AI, shared mobility and EV adoption come together to create scalable, future-ready impact for modern workplaces.
Hardeep Dayal, President – Commercial, Bhartiya Urban
For India’s commercial real estate, 2025 was a reset year, with a clear return-to-office push followed by renewed leasing momentum in core markets. And as occupiers revived physical work environments, demand sharply shifted towards well-placed, efficient workplaces that reduce commute friction and contribute to employee wellbeing. It was also a year of transition from standalone offices to integrated, mixed-use campuses that combined workspaces with daily amenities and social infrastructure. In 2026, leasing activity is expected to be supported by GCC expansion and technology-led enterprises while India will continue to benefit from its skilled workforce and innovation depth. Offices will, increasingly, be assessed not as cost centers but as productivity enablers, culture hubs and long-term talent retention tools.
Matthew Foxton, India Regional President & Executive Vice-President, Branding & Communications, IDEMIA Group
2025 marked a decisive acceleration in digital innovation, with payments, connectivity, and digital ecosystems becoming more seamless, secure, and interconnected than ever before. As we look ahead to 2026, cryptography and cybersecurity will define the digital economy, as trust becomes fundamental to every real-time transaction and software-driven system. Next-generation cryptographic libraries, advanced hardware security modules, and crypto agility will enable security to operate seamlessly from edge devices to cloud platforms processing billions of transactions, while safeguarding keys and data as the industry transitions toward quantum-resistant standards. Together, these capabilities will underpin trusted payments, secure communications, resilient digital infrastructure, and national cybersecurity in the post-quantum era.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor, World University of Design
"The future will not be built by those who just follow a long-established syllabi, but by those who have the courage to question, dismantle and redesign them. At World University of Design, 2025 was not a year of incremental progress or cosmetic innovation, it was a year of deliberate disruption. We reaffirmed ourselves to the belief that education must evolve from the transfer of information to the cultivation of imagination, agency and critical intelligence. We are stepping into 2026 with the conviction that the future of our students depends on what they will dare to reimagine, what systems they will challenge, what conventions they will outgrow, and what futures they will author. In a world defined by volatility, artificial intelligence and accelerating complexities, WUD stands committed to nurturing designers who refuse passive compliance, who see uncertainty as a creative frontier, and who transform bold ideas into frameworks for more intelligent, equitable and humane ways of living.
Dr. Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University
In 2025, we observed a significant shift toward skill-based learning, advanced AI integration, multidisciplinary approaches, and stronger collaboration between industry and academia. Key trends included hyper-personalised blended learning, research-driven and innovation-led higher education along with internationalisation to boost global competitiveness. As India positions itself as a knowledge leader in the global economy, we anticipate more decentralised learning and increased investment in Education 5.0. Our approach at Mahindra University remains holistic, student-centric, and interdisciplinary, fostering knowledge exchange through global partnerships and prioritising experiential learning to prepare students for industry.
Anirban Ghosh, Head – Centre for Sustainability, Mahindra University
In 2025, the sustainability sector transitioned from aspirational commitments to operational priorities. Notable trends included an increased emphasis on biodiversity and social equity within environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks; expanded adoption of artificial intelligence–driven insights; integration of circular economy principles; decarbonisation of supply chains; and an accelerated shift towards renewable energy. The urgency of climate change has further propelled the transition to a low-carbon economy, facilitated by advanced technologies and initiatives such as the emergence of a biodiversity credit market. Looking ahead, we anticipate continued progress in resource management, environmental stewardship and emissions reduction, alongside greater investment in artificial intelligence, climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure. At Mahindra University, we remain committed to a comprehensive approach that advances environmental education and equips students to address sustainability challenges through practical, solution-oriented learning.
