Instead of artificial intelligence telling us about our year, we will use human intelligence to pen down our 2022 wrap-up.
BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
2022 is wrapping up and just like many people on social media, I had to check my Spotify Wrapped. And although ‘System of a Down’ was one of the top artists for me, the year had a lot of Ups. Around the same time, GTO came up with the idea to look back upon the year that was for the Indian automotive enthusiast. So, in a way, this is Team-BHP Wrapped. But instead of artificial intelligence telling us about our year, we will use human intelligence to pen down our review of the year 2022. I’m going to mention highlights in 2 categories:
- Personally how the year was for me as an automotive enthusiast
- The big developments in the Indian car scene of 2022
New Beginnings
My 2022 started with a road trip. Had planned to spend New Year’s Eve in Coorg at a friend’s coffee plantation. Lots of mountain driving, beaches, waterfalls, hiking, amazing food, freshly ground and brewed black coffee, lots of pets to play with, and long-time close friends. Couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. Here’s a glimpse:
Paradise unexplored
Another highlight was the trip to the Northeast which had been on my list for a long time. I’d been to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh before for work (Honda Drive to Discover 9). However, this year I took some time out to explore Meghalaya and visited Kaziranga too (Hadn’t been on the safaris last time around). Rented bikes and was a lot of fun on the twisty roads of Meghalaya. Met a lot of sweet and friendly people, had long chats with car owners, enjoyed delicious food, and had some amazing tea. At the end of the trip, added Northeast back to my list of places to visit:
Back to where it all started
Took the big step professionally to join back Team-BHP full-time. Got to drive a lot of exciting cars this year like the Citroen C3, Skoda Slavia, VW Virtus, Mahindra Scorpio-N, Hyundai Tucson, and Audi Q3 to name a few. Will be driving the Tata Tiago EV soon, so stay tuned.
The year has been eventful and so many cars launched that an enthusiast would enjoy. I remember driving the C3 turbo petrol on narrow inside ghat roads of Goa with Vid6639, where we both were trying to get one of the rear wheels in the air on tight corners. Plenty more exciting cars for the Indian automotive enthusiast, so make sure you check out the full list of Best Enthusiast Cars in India, 2022 Lineup. For now, let’s get to the second part, which is notable industry developments of 2022.
The transition from a Buyer’s market to a Seller’s market
This has probably been the biggest development in the Indian automotive industry. It was bound to happen, and I feel that 2022 has been the year that this transition has finally taken place. From a time when manufacturers were fighting to undercut each other in terms of pricing, we now have such premium pricing on cars. A Toyota Fortuner now costs over Rs 50 lakh on-road and even a Maruti Dzire is over Rs 10 lakh on-road. Car prices are at an all-time high. And when you think about it, things like chip shortages resulting in long waiting periods have helped the transition. However, just the sheer demand for premium products has been the key to the transition into a Seller’s Market:
Safety inclination
Global NCAP updated its crash test protocol to make it more stringent this year. Performing brilliantly in these updated tests with 5-star ratings were the likes of the Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, and the Mahindra Scorpio-N. The atmosphere at the Maruti paddock has been grim in this regard as the S-Presso, Swift and Ignis scored just a 1-star safety rating. There have also been reports that the upcoming Bharat NCAP will be based on the updated Global NCAP norms which is another piece of good news.
Furthermore, we’ve also seen car buyers focus on safety features more than on gimmicky features. Even the government of India is taking steps to ensure road safety like implementing the seat belt rule that mandates all passengers (including the rear seat occupants) to wear seatbelts. All in all, steps are being taken in the right direction in terms of car and road safety.
Time to go electric?
We’ve seen a lot of electric cars enter the Indian market this year and the reason is simple, people are ready to make the switch. Not just in the affordable segment, but the luxury car makers have also started to bring in all the electric cars from their international portfolio. Just to jog your memory, here’s a list of electric cars launched this year – Tata Nexon EV Max, Tata Tiago EV, MG ZS EV facelift, BYD Atto 3, BYD e6, Kia EV6, Mini Cooper SE, Volvo XC40 Recharge, BMW i4, Mercedes-AMG EQS 53, Mercedes Benz EQS 580, and Mercedes Benz EQB. Cars like the Citroen eC3 and Mahindra XUV400 will launch early next year. The only thing to watch out for is whether the development of charging infrastructure can keep up with the demand. We’ve seen a lot of independent players and apps popping up with charging infrastructure, so all in all, things are looking positive for current and potential EV owners.
These were some of my highlights for the year 2022.
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 GTO had to say about the matter:
2022 was a fantastic year for the petrolhead in me.
- We brought a new car home (Red Thar Convertible Petrol AT). A car that makes us smile, giggle & laugh like no other. Modifications are in progress, still some work to be done. Will put up a post once all is complete:
- Back to regular road-tripping & holidays, after Covid lulls in 2020 & 2021.
- All my cars are in top shape mechanically. And looking good after detailing sessions:
- Experienced some impressive machines such as the C3 Turbo (a surprise fun-to-drive car!), fast EVs (EQS & Nexon EV), super-smooth City Hybrid & more:
- We met almost each & every embargo of car reviews:
Here’s what BHPian RedTerrano had to say about the matter:
I would classify my petrolhead year 2022 as below average.
Sadly, real life kept interrupting and throwing unmarked unpainted speed breakers and I couldn’t get things done as much as I would have wanted.
I managed one measly drive to Ratnagiri which was a first for me.
Some pics from that adventure.
Besides this, my pet project of building my own electric car is moving on at a snail’s pace.
I hope the coming year is a better one. Looking forward to more adventures and lots of fun.
Here’s what BHPian vb-san had to say about the matter:
2022 was pretty brilliant for the auto-enthusiast in me. After getting docked in for two years, managed to travel home around the end of 2021, and 2022 started with taking the cheerful Polo 1.5 TDI on a long drive from Thrissur to Trivandrum. And later in the year (around July-Aug), got to spend a few weeks in Germany driving the EQS, EQB, and the wonderful M340i.
And this was the year where I got to visit 3 revered auto-pilgrimage sites within a span of one month – the Mercedes Benz Museum, the Porsche Museum, and the BMW Welt!
Keyword: Team-BHP Wrapped: Here's how automotive enthusiasts summarise 2022