Brands
Big Boy Toyz sells VIP number plate for Rs 2.08 crore in one of India’s costliest deals
NEW DELHI: Big Boy Toyz has fired an opening salvo in India’s luxury collectibles market with a headline-grabbing sale. The VIP number plate DDC 0001 was auctioned for Rs 2.08 crore on the newly launched Auction House by Big Boy Toyz, marking one of the most expensive number plate transactions in the country and signalling growing confidence in the platform.
The auction coincided with the launch of Auction House by Big Boy Toyz, the company’s foray into building what it describes as India’s first premium destination for high-value collectors. The platform brings together luxury cars, celebrity-owned vehicles, elite number plates, premium watches and exclusive mobile numbers under a single, verified ecosystem.
Built around transparency, verification and ease of transaction, the auction house aims to introduce global auction-house standards to India’s fast-growing luxury market. The winning bidder for DDC 0001, Kiran Kolipakula from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, underscored another shift: high-value luxury buying is no longer confined to metro cities.
The transaction highlighted both the pan-India reach of the platform and rising demand for collectible assets that combine rarity, status and long-term value.
“For nearly two decades, Big Boy Toyz has been built on one simple promise: trust. People have trusted us with the most valuable cars in the country,” said Jatin Ahuja, founder and managing director of Big Boy Toyz. “Over the years, we’ve built deep relationships with India’s most elite collectors and industry leaders, consistently operating within the inner circle of luxury. That credibility is what naturally led to the Auction House. When you’re dealing with assets of this value, transparency and verification matter more than anything else. The Rs 2.08 crore auction of DDC 0001 reinforced that collectors are ready for a platform they can believe in, no matter where they come from. Auction House by Big Boy Toyz is our way of extending that trust into a broader world of luxury collectibles, with global standards but a very Indian understanding of how people buy and sell.”
The platform is designed to serve both sides of the market. Sellers gain access to a curated, affluent buyer base, while buyers are offered end-to-end transaction support and the chance to own assets positioned as legacy pieces.
Current listings span celebrity cars and rare collectibles, including Dinesh Karthik’s Range Rover Sport SVR, Shilpa Shetty’s Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, Rohit Shetty’s Mercedes-Benz CLA 200D, a Rolex Daytona with Tiffany dial, collectible Hublot King Gold Skeleton Chronograph, rare mobile numbers 999999999X and 888888888X, and elite number plates such as CHE78 and HR59 0001.
With a long-term ambition to build an Indian equivalent of Sotheby’s or Christie’s, Big Boy Toyz plans to expand the auction house into new categories, including luxury handbags, rare art, collectibles and premium real estate.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Gurgaon, Big Boy Toyz is one of India’s leading luxury and pre-owned automobile dealers, with operations across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The company serves over 10,000 UHNI and HNI clients and attracts nearly 30 million monthly digital visitors.
From supercars to symbols of status, Big Boy Toyz is betting that trust, not just flash, will power India’s next luxury boom.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
