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Times Drive Auto Summit 2026 spotlights India’s mobility push
Gadkari flags barrier-free tolling, EV push and highway blitz at Delhi event
New Delhi: India’s auto future is being redrawn at speed. Times Network Digital’s Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026 pulled in policymakers and industry heavyweights, mapping a sector racing towards clean tech, smart manufacturing and global scale.
Held in the capital under the theme ‘India’s Mobility Mission 2030: Clean Tech, Smart Manufacturing, Global Vision’, the event comes as the country eyes pole position as the world’s largest automobile manufacturing hub. Electric mobility, alternative fuels and production-linked incentives dominated the conversation, alongside export-led ambition.
Nitin Gadkari, union minister for road transport and highways, used the platform to sketch an aggressive infrastructure and policy roadmap. “The government is moving towards a seamless, barrier-free tolling system that eliminates the need for physical toll booths altogether. Vehicles will be charged based on the exact distance travelled, using number plate recognition and FASTag-linked systems. This system has already been rolled out at 85 toll locations and is expected to expand nationwide by the end of this year,” he said.
He spelt out the consumer upside in blunt terms. “A significant reduction in toll expenses for commuters. Where users earlier paid Rs 125–Rs 150 at toll booths, charges could drop to around Rs 15 per stretch under the new system. A potential Rs 3000 pass covering up to 200 toll crossings. The biggest advantage would be uninterrupted travel – no stopping, no queues.”
The build-out is already visible. “In Delhi, we are constructing an underground tunnel, and by 20 May, we are working on a state-of-the-art Kalindi Kunj road that goes towards Mathura. It is now easier to commute from Delhi to Jaipur, Dehradun, Amritsar in 4 hours, Katra in 6 hours, and Srinagar in 8 hours. The road from Ladakh to Leh is being constructed, with eight tunnels being built, and it is already 75–80 per cent complete. We are building 36 tunnels between Srinagar and Jammu, out of which 24 are already ready and six are under construction. Katra to Delhi is connected via the Delhi–Amritsar highway, and from Mumbai to Delhi via Surat. From Surat, we are directly connecting to Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kurnool, Kanyakumari, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and most South Indian cities. Work is progressing on 3,200 kilometres of fully access-controlled highways from Delhi to Chennai. Work is also underway on the Chennai–Bengaluru highway, which will enable travel in just 2 hours. The green highways we are building will also improve port connectivity. Overall, we are doing much more than people’s expectations,” he said.
In a lighter aside, Gadkari recalled the backlash to a past suggestion to replace vehicle horns with musical sounds such as flute or tabla, a reminder that reform in India rarely travels in a straight line.
The summit doubled as a deal room and a stage. Panels and keynotes featured V V Muralikrishna, executive director, non fuel business, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation; Anshul Arzare, md and ceo, YES Securities; Vipul K Maheshwari, executive director, r&d, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation; Vikram Gulati, country head and evp, Toyota India; Manmeet Singh, head of business, auto, ieot and cbn, Qualcomm India; Vinkesh Gulati, chairperson, Automotive Skills Development Council; Sharad Kachalia, director, Navnit Group; Kavita Verma, ceo, Maxwell Energy Systems; Uday Narang, founder and chairman, Omega Seiki Mobility; and Naveen Gupta, founder, TREV Mobility.
Building on its 2025 debut, the awards honoured excellence across 35 categories spanning design, performance, safety, innovation and sustainability, spotlighting the technologies and brands shaping the next decade of mobility.
The event was presented by HPCL, with YES Securities and Garware as associate partners, Corporate Warranties India as official warranty partner, TREV Mobility as mobility partner and Heights Outdoor as outdoor partner.
Behind the summit sits the Times Group, a sprawling media conglomerate with interests across television, digital, print, radio, outdoor, events, music, films, real estate, education and investments, alongside brands such as Times Now, ET Now, Zoom and Gaana, and ventures including Bennett University and TimesPro.
The direction of travel is unmistakable. Faster roads, smarter systems and cleaner machines are no longer talking points but deadlines. India’s mobility shift has moved from pitch to execution, and the clock is ticking.
