MAM
Autocar India sets Guinness World Record for longest EV journey in India
Mumbai: Autocar India and Mercedes-Benz India set a Guinness World Record title for the longest journey by an electric car on a single charge, covering 949 km in the Mercedes EQS 580 from Bengaluru to Navi Mumbai. This surpasses the previous record of 916.74 km set by a Ford Mustang Mach E in the UK.
The journey took place in monsoon conditions, with heavy rain and road detours adding to the challenge. Despite these obstacles, the Mercedes EQS 580, with its 107.8kWh battery and industry-leading aerodynamic design, managed to exceed its certified range of 857 km by more than 10 per cent.
Autocar India’s Rahul Kakar, who drove the record-setting car, shared, “I’ve hypermiled in a lot of vehicles before, both internal combustion and EVs, but this was my first time hypermiling a luxury EV. It’s by far the most challenging test I have undertaken, as in the past I never chased to break an existing record. A lot of factors made it all the more challenging like heavy rainfall, traffic, broken roads and worst of all, getting a flat tyre. With a target to achieve, it was equal hypertension as it was hypermile as the entire time I made calculations of the remaining range of the EQS with each percentage drop in the battery. In retrospect though, all the effort and stress was well worth claiming a Guinness World Record title.”
Autocar India celebrated this achievement as part of its 25 anniversary. Editor Hormazd Sorabjee remarked, “We are delighted to celebrate our 25 anniversary with a Guinness World Record title. This record of 949.0km on a single charge in adverse conditions is easily the most challenging drive we have ever undertaken. You can never be prepared enough for what Indian roads throw at you but some incredibly disciplined driving in a car like the EQS which has the best range and an efficient aerodynamic shape, helped us overcome all obstacles to achieve this amazing distance without plugging in”
Mercedes-Benz India’s managing director & CEO, Santosh Iyer said, “I thank all the early adopters of BEVs and every EQS customer for their trust in Mercedes-Benz, for creating a greener planet, by leading this BEV transition from the front. Congratulations to the Autocar India team for accomplishing the Guinness World Record title, driving a ‘Made in India’ EQS sedan, under real and arduous driving conditions from Bengaluru to Navi Mumbai during the monsoon.”
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
