[AMG Power]

In an interview with Anand Mahindra, he says that cities will become a living hell if car sales rise rapidly. He also outlines what needs to be done to prevent this. While we may have guessed this is where we are heading, it is different when the head of an automotive company says so.

More on the interview

[Ambi]

I so agree to this. While we cheer the MOM and YOY car sales growth numbers our monthly car sale threads, reality remains that most Indian & global cities are nearing their brim levels in terms of handling more cars on their roads.

While I completely agree that there is scope to grow/improve road & public commute infrastructure in our country, some level of rationing in car sales is the need of the hour.

[condor]

Ha ! Look who is talking. He goes about releasing so many cheap, small & affordable cars, and then says this. You should have focussed on better cars, Mr Mahindra.

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by condor

Ha ! Look who is talking. He goes about releasing so many cheap, small & affordable cars, and then says this. You should have focussed on better cars, Mr Mahindra.

Maybe because it is the rural market where they dominate

[condor]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Maybe because it is the rural market where they dominate

Rural markets pick the larger UV's. Boleros, etc. Mostly as maxi-cabs - and these are run thru the day as transport for the public. Its the cities where the TUV, KUV's etc are getting sold in larger numbers.

[SJM1214]

Cities will become a living hell?. They already are!

I am from a small city/town and the difference between peak-hours and off-peak hours no more exists. My city/town is not ready to handle these much cars and the result is clearly visible in the traffic conditions. I am talking about a municipality town with approximately 3 Lakh Population.

So, what kind of shared options do you see in cities?
The largest shared opportunity is actually two-wheelers... So, you have got a major Metro system, you have got pods at the end, small cars but electric (which can be) shared or rented. And in streets, there will be a lot of personal mobility, which will be through e-bikes where people can even exercise (can also pedal) if they switch off the power. And so, it will make for a healthier society. You have got threewheelers, which are not necessarily cabs, but they could be like Peugeot Metropolis (three-wheeled scooter). My future is almost like looking at Beijing of 1980s, when it was infested by cycles. The only minor difference is that now they will all be e-bikes.

I completely agree with Anand Mahindra. I think, in future, some inner areas of big cities will be declared as "no four-wheel Zone". E-bikes & e-rickshaws (three wheelers) will be main transport options, at least for inner-city commutes.

[ACM]

We all agree with him that:

This hell is the inevitable future we face.

There are many solutions that the Gov't needs to work on in parallel but this hellish scenario is becoming a reality day by day as more and more cars come on the roads.

The problem is "heaven" can exist on roads only if life is "hell" for those who can't afford cars and that too is unacceptable.

[nikhilck]

Instead of blaming the auto makers, we need to blame the state govts. If they improve transportation infrastructure, people won't mind moving further away from the city center, but they won't/can't do it due to corruption.

[bikerzindia]

For Bangalore all I can say is if the public transport was well connected about 25 years back (Long before the IT Boom), we would not have been amidst this chaos of maddening pile ups of 2 wheeler. The cars were a luxury then and only after the IT boom is when it became affordable. Old timers suffered so much with the then BTS that they preferred buying 2 wheeler to wasting time and money on BTS.