e-commerce
CarTrade secures Rs 950 crore funding for expansion in online auto industry
MUMBAI: Indian online auto classifieds platform CarTrade has raised Rs 950 crore led by Temasek, an investment company based in Singapore, and March Capital, a global venture investment firm.
Existing investor Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm focused on growth investing, also participated in the process. This injection of capital will be utilised to diversify and strengthen CarTrade’s offerings for consumers and dealers.
Following its recent combination with Carwale, CarTrade has also strengthen its presence in the market. “It has over 32 million visits per month and work with approximately 10,000 new and used car dealer partners. The platforms list more than 225,000 used cars for sale and auctions over 250,000 vehicles to the wholesale market every year. CarTrade and CarWale jointly contribute to a majority of all online sales for car dealers and car manufacturers,” the company said in a statement.
“We are extremely happy to have Temasek and March Capital on board as partners together with existing investor, Warburg Pincus. This investment is a validation of CarTrade’s business model and growth plans in the Indian online auto space. The funds raised shall be used to further expand our services organically and through acquisitions. We will continue to focus on products, services and strengthening our world class technology capabilities and platforms, to deliver a seamless online experience for auto enthusiasts across the country,” said CarTrade founder and chief executive officer Vinay Sanghi.
CarWale CEO Mohit Dubey added, “These are exciting times for us as the e-commerce sector is at a broad confluence of multiple macro trends. We are very excited about the opportunities presented by sector in India and are well positioned to leverage these opportunities. At this stage of growth we welcome Temasek and March Capital and this new financing will provide CarTrade with a strong foundation for future growth.”
March Capital managing director Sumant Mandal said, “At March Capital we believe that the greatest companies oftomorrow are being built now. CarTrade has developed a unique and a world class platform for transacting in new and used vehicles. A leader in its segment, it has steadily expanded its offerings across India and today has an extremely strong network dealer partners with a rapidly growing user base. We continue to be impressed by the team’s dynamism, passion, energy and vision and look forward to working closely with the team to support the company in achieving its growth ambitions.”
Existing investors of CarTrade, which was founded by Vinay Sanghi in 2009, include Warburg Pincus, JP Morgan and Epiphany Ventures.
MUMBAI: From flights to tracks, Cleartrip is now trying to keep every journey on the same ticket. Cleartrip, part of Flipkart, has launched train ticket bookings through a partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, marking its entry into India’s vast rail travel ecosystem.
The integration allows users to search, book and manage train journeys directly within the app, as the company pushes towards becoming a unified, multi-modal travel platform. The move plugs Cleartrip into one of the world’s largest transportation networks, where over 800 million reserved passengers travel annually, alongside a daily footfall of around 23 million across Indian Railways.
The offering includes bookings across routes nationwide, covering General and Tatkal quotas as per Ministry of Railways guidelines. Users can also access real-time seat availability, fare insights, PNR status tracking, berth preferences and digital payment options within a single interface.
The expansion reflects a broader shift in travel platforms from specialising in a single mode to stitching together end-to-end journeys. For Cleartrip, the bet is not just on scale, but on simplifying a system often seen as complex and fragmented.
Company executives said the focus is on embedding predictive intelligence and personalisation into the booking journey, aiming to make everything from discovery to post-booking support faster and more intuitive.
The train booking feature is currently live on the app, with plans to extend it to the web platform soon, signalling a push towards a seamless cross-platform experience.
In a country where railways move billions each year, the next battleground for travel apps may well be decided not in the skies, but on the tracks.
