On the sixteenth of February, there was an article in The Economist titled “Throughout the rich world, the young are falling out of love with cars.” It mentioned the pattern of youthful individuals not choosing driving licences however for public transport and biking, metropolis councils lowering parking areas, podcasts encouraging individuals to shun the person motorcar and altering street plans to favour pedestrians over drivers! Certain wealthy nations have been witnessing a rising anti-car motion, dovetailing very properly with environmentalists.

Would this ever occur in India, I requested myself? Will the wealthy and higher middle-class youth not be enamoured with a brand new set of wheels anymore? Will they be taking the DTC or BEST bus round city or their Firefox or B-twin bicycle? That could be a daunting thought for certain. What will automakers do? What in regards to the new SUVs they’re planning? Or the upgrades with larger screens and wider sunroofs? Will children all over the place maintain their breath and say, “No zero emissions, no car”? Catastrophe! Nah, not doable! India continues to be an rising vehicle market. Look on the paltry car penetration per 1,000 individuals. It’s in economies with a glut of car possession the place there’s a response in opposition to it and the place there’s a really well-developed public transport system. We will take a few years to even ponder such a state of affairs.

Paris and Berlin are stripping away parking areas. We by no means had correct ones within the first place! They are planning pedestrian-friendly roads. Our roads are half encroached upon by shacks, temples and squatters! They have been transferring to public transport in its place. We have ensured now we have a viable one within the first place. More so, they’re wealthy economies. So sure, it’s going to take some time to catch on right here.

But allow us to not relaxation straightforward pondering that what occurs within the West won’t ever occur in India. There is rising consciousness and activism about points like congestion, air pollution, conspicuous consumption and sustainability. Our Gen-Z may be very otherwise wired and extra globally aligned on socio-economic points than we entrepreneurs would love. And that precisely is what we have to analyse, deal with and assuage. They are tomorrow’s clients and customers. They are extra into consumption and experiences than into possession, irrespective of monetary functionality. If the richer segments that are actually shopping for the larger cars and SUVs realise that their youthful inhabitants finds the private car an irresponsible buy, they may simply want gifting them tickets to Machu Picchu over the keys to a Maruti Swift!

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