(Left of centre) Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries, presented the Indian Car of the Year [ICOTY] 2025 award to Hisashi Takeuchi. Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

The Maruti Suzuki Victoris was crowned Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2026 and the TVS Apache RTX 300 secured the Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) 2026 title. These prestigious honours were presented by Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries, alongside the awards' chairmen, Pablo Chaterji of ICOTY and Kartik Ware of IMOTY, during a prominent ceremony in New Delhi. The event, a key date in the industry calendar, gathered leading automotive figures to celebrate these achievements.

Now in their 21st and 19th iterations, respectively, the JK Tyre-sponsored ICOTY and IMOTY awards remain the most credible benchmarks for automotive excellence in India. The ceremony also recognised vehicles in specialised categories, reflecting evolving market trends. The Volkswagen Golf GTI received the Premium Car Award 2026, while the Mahindra XEV 9e was honoured with the Green Car Award 2026 for its contributions to electric mobility.

These outcomes are determined by a rigorous evaluation process conducted by a 27-member jury of senior automotive journalists, whose collective experience spans over three centuries. Modelling global award standards, the jury assesses every shortlisted vehicle across a comprehensive set of criteria. This includes design, safety, performance, technology, value and suitability for Indian driving conditions. This meticulous and transparent methodology sustains the awards' authority and ensures they consistently celebrate the vehicles that truly advance the nation’s automotive landscape.

Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, said, “The evolution of India’s automotive industry is gaining remarkable transition, as the focus shifts towards sustainable technologies, intelligent mobility and stronger engineering capabilities. ICOTY and IMOTY recognises the machines that carry this vision into reality. JK Tyre is honoured to stand with a platform that rewards forward-looking innovation. What we have seen this year signals an industry preparing thoughtfully and confidently for the mobility of tomorrow.”

Pablo Chaterji, Chairman, ICOTY, said, “There are many automotive awards in the country, and each has its undoubted merits. Ever since the ICOTY award was instituted, however, it has taken its place at the top of the podium, in no small part due to the support of JK Tyre. This is because the jury consists of the finest automotive journalists in the country, with a combined reviewing track record of over 300 years. The award process is thoroughly vetted by our knowledge partner, Deloitte, and is thus scrupulously fair and transparent. Every OEM is also clear that this award – and its associated awards, IMOTY, Premium Car and Green Car – is the one that matters most, and I think it would not be out of place to say that cars in India have become better in part because OEMs want to win ICOTY, and make every effort to manufacture vehicles that are worthy of that title.”

Kartik Ware, Chairman, IMOTY, said, “IMOTY 2026 has been as diverse and accomplished as possible, with a number of firsts, including the first-ever electric motorcycle in the finalists. To celebrate the best motorcycle from among a lineup of such fantastic machines is not an easy task, but the IMOTY jury is equal to it – a big thank you to each and every one of them, old and new. Of course, due credit must also be given to our partner in this spectacular journey, JK Tyre, for its constant and unwavering support. All of these attributes make IMOTY the 17-year-old institution it has become, and the most cherished two-wheeler award in India. Here's to many more!”

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “We are honoured to receive the ‘Indian Car of the Year 2026’ award for VICTORIS. This SUV was designed to provide all possible features to today’s new-age customers. It brings together style, technology, safety and a host of smart innovations. With the strong customer pull and now the coveted ICOTY award, VICTORIS lives up to its promise of ‘Got It All’. We are grateful to the ICOTY jury for this prestigious recognition.”

Vimal Sumbly, Head Business – Premium, TVS Motor Company, said, “Being recognised with the JK Tyre’s Indian Motorcycle of the Year award 2026 (IMOTY). This honour reflects a performance legacy shaped by over 40 years of racing excellence and 35 years of rally experience, where every insight has been earned through real-world competition. As TVS Apache completes 20 years as a symbol of racing DNA, innovation and rider trust, the TVS Apache RTX represents our bold vision for the future creating and leading the Rally Touring Extreme segment. Designed, engineered and made in India for the world, TVS Apache RTX reinforces our belief that world-class motorcycles can originate in India and compete with the very best globally.”

Nitin Kohli, Brand Director, Volkswagen India, said, “Winning the Premium Car of the Year award for the Golf GTI is truly special. The GTI is an icon with a 50-year legacy, and seeing it resonate so strongly with Indian enthusiasts has been incredibly rewarding. What began as a limited allocation quickly turned into overwhelming demand, reaffirming that the Golf GTI is more than just a car; it’s a collector’s item and a symbol of pure driving passion. We thank the ICOTY jury for this recognition and our customers for believing in the GTI and its enduring legacy.”

Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO – Automotive Business, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. & Executive Director, Mahindra Electric Automobile Ltd., said, “We would like to thank the esteemed ICOTY 2026 jury for honouring the Mahindra XEV 9e with the Green Car of the Year award. This award validates the global benchmarks of design, engineering and manufacturing excellence that underpin Mahindra’s Electric Origin vision. More importantly, it reinforces the XEV 9e’s role in truly Unlimiting the electric vehicle adoption in India and by expanding what customers can expect from an EV in everyday life. We are deeply grateful to our customers for their trust and belief; your confidence continues to inspire us to deliver electric mobility that is aspirational, capable and uncompromising.”

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Evonik, a global speciality chemicals company, has outlined a three-year strategy to sharpen its focus and accelerate growth, assigning distinct roles across its business portfolio and setting specific tasks for its major German sites. Targeted growth projects are also intended to improve the group's geostrategic balance. To fund these investments, the company is relying on its Evonik Tailor Made restructuring programme to further reduce its cost base. The plan involves cutting 3,200 jobs worldwide, with roughly 2,150 of those losses falling in Germany.

At the annual strategy meeting, the executive and supervisory boards reviewed plans through 2030. Interim CEO Claus Rettig said the industry faces a structural and economic crisis, and Evonik will use this polycrisis to reshape old structures and improve its positioning. Many parts of the business are still growing, so efforts will concentrate on strengths, future topics and lucrative markets, with better cost positions creating room to manoeuvre.

Transformation will proceed at every level. Healthcare and biotechnology projects in Canada and Slovakia, worth several hundred million euros, will strengthen the portfolio, while business units are aligned by role as growth drivers or cash generators. A new business line, Designed Polymer Solutions, bundles growth areas in aerospace, automotive and gas separation, including biogas and hydrogen. Asia and America offer strong opportunities, and further investments there are under review. Each of the six major German sites will receive a clear profile, with implementation starting shortly.

Evonik is also exiting activities with no internal prospects. Rettig said long-term leadership requires leading in what the company does, and volatility demands flexible responses. Closures of smaller sites fit this approach, and divestments of C4 chemicals and infrastructure are progressing as planned. Tailor Made's second phase begins in 2027 and runs to 2029. Measures will be finalised by late 2026, including unfilled vacancies, early retirements and voluntary severance departures. Chief Human Resources Officer Thomas Wessel said Evonik has long lived social responsibility and maintained intensive dialogue with employee representatives, and this transformation will be completed together.

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Continental recently showcased its new TerrainContact A/T2 tyre during a five-day driving event in Iceland, held from 14 to 18 September 2026. Journalists and invited customers tested the tyre across winding roads, rugged highlands, glaciers and volcanic terrain.

Starting at Þingvellir, the group travelled through Iceland's Western Highlands and the Kaldidalur valley, where gravel routes highlighted the tyre's blend of on-road comfort and off-road traction. The TerrainContact A/T2 targets pickup and SUV owners who mainly drive on pavement but require extra grip when conditions change.

Compared with its predecessor, the tyre offers better wet braking and snow traction while preserving a quiet ride and off-road ability. A new tread compound boosts wet performance, greater tread depth aids snow grip, and optimised zig-zag grooves and traction teeth add control on loose or snowy surfaces. It carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol and is engineered with electric vehicles in mind.

Okan Sen, National Marketing Manager, Continental Tire Canada, said, “The TerrainContact A/T2, as one of the best-balanced performance all-terrain tyres in the market, was developed for drivers who want the freedom to explore without compromising their everyday driving experience. Iceland was the perfect setting to bring that versatility to life, giving attendees the opportunity to experience the tire across the kind of changing terrain it was designed to handle.”

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A new Oxford Economics study commissioned by Tyres Europe underscores the tyre sector's vital economic and social contribution, arriving as Brussels shapes its Industrial Accelerator Act to reinforce European industrial competitiveness. The report, titled ‘The Critical Importance of the EU Tyre Industry’, makes the case that EU industrial policy ought to encompass the finished products sustaining Europe's economy and essential services, rather than focusing solely on raw materials and technologies.

Through the lens of tyres, the research maps the relationships between European manufacturing capacity, reliance on external sources and the smooth operation of mobility, freight and public services. It concludes that EU-produced tyres potentially enabled freight, agriculture and passenger transport, directly yielding EUR 1.5 trillion in GDP – 9 percent of the EU's total – and providing work for 30.5 million people, 13 percent of EU employment.

The study further reveals exposure on both sides of the tyre value chain. Imported intermediate inputs constitute 11.9 percent of EU tyre production value, exceeding the EU economy average of 7 percent, while natural rubber supplies depend wholly on imports. In 2024, imported tyres made up 40 percent of newly fitted tyres across the EU, a proportion that continues to climb.

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe, said, “Economic resilience depends not only on access to materials but also on retaining the capacity to transform them into safe, advanced products in Europe. The Industrial Accelerator Act is an opportunity to recognise strategically-important finished products and support competitive manufacturing in Europe. A strong EU tyre manufacturing base reduces reliance on external suppliers and helps build a more resilient, competitive automotive value chain.”

Pete Collings, Managing Director, Oxford Economics, said, “Europe’s tyre industry is far more than a manufacturing sector: it is a critical enabler of mobility, trade and wider economic activity. Our analysis shows that EU-produced tyres support hundreds of billions of euros in GDP and millions of jobs across key customer sectors, while the industry itself depends on complex global supply chains. The findings underline the economic value of maintaining a strong European tyre manufacturing base.”

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The J&K Bank presents JK Tyre Rally of Himalayas 2026, a premier Cross Country Rally, was flagged off from Manali on 26 September. Organised by Himalayan Xtreme Motorsports and Adventure X Fusion Tribe, the sixth edition achieved a significant milestone by entering the Zanskar region for the first time. The ceremonial start occurred at 5:00 PM at Dev Lok, 15th Mile, near Span Resort, Manali. Bhuvneshwar Gaur, MLA Manali, served as Chief Guest, joined by V P S. Jasrotia, Deputy General Manager of Jammu & Kashmir Bank, as Guest of Honour alongside JK Tyre officials. The rally is supported by J&K Bank as Presenting Sponsor, JK Tyre as Title Sponsor, Ladakh Tourism as Official Sponsor and Impulse and Liqui Moly as Partners.

The competition features 140 participants across Moto, Extreme and TSD categories over five days in the formidable Himalayas. The route traverses Kaza, Jispa, Padum and Pensi La before concluding in Padum, Zanskar, on 30 September. The Moto category includes 80 riders, among them one female rider. The Extreme category comprises 35 participants, including two female drivers and five Army teams. The TSD category has 24 competitors, four of whom are female, testing precision, timing and navigation. This diverse field includes professionals, private entrants, women and Army teams.

This edition serves as a tribute to Hari Singh, the legendary Gypsy King and five-time National Rally Champion, whose legacy inspires competitors. The event's defining feature is its inaugural entry into Zanskar, introducing high-altitude terrain, remote landscapes, long competitive sections and shifting Himalayan conditions. From Kaza, competitors progress to Jispa and into Zanskar, tackling Padum and Pensi La before returning to Padum. Preparation, navigation, endurance and reliability become critical. Since its 2021 inception, the rally has grown into a demanding platform testing riders and drivers against Himalayan challenges.

JK Tyre, synonymous with Indian motorsport, continues its legacy rooted in rallying, embodying endurance and adventure. For J&K Bank, supporting the event reflects nearly nine decades of commitment to regional development and showcases tourism potential. The Department of Tourism, UT Ladakh, partners as a sponsor to position Zanskar as a premier adventure tourism destination, highlighting landscapes, heritage and driving routes to national and international audiences.

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