Chief Guest Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways highlighted India’s transition toward globally competitive mobility solutions, evolving landscape of automobile industry, rapid technological advancements etc
Times Network Digital successfully hosted the HPCL Presents Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026 in New Delhi, bringing together some of the most influential voices from India’s automotive ecosystem. Chief Guest Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, highlighted the evolving landscape of the automobile industry, underscoring rapid technological advancements, the shift toward sustainable practices, and the accelerating adoption of electric mobility in India.
At a time when India’s automotive industry stands at a defining inflection point—with ambitions to emerge as the world’s largest automobile manufacturing hub—the summit served as a powerful platform for thought leadership, collaboration, and recognition. Anchored in the theme ‘India’s Mobility Mission 2030: Clean Tech, Smart Manufacturing, Global Vision,’ the event reflected the nation’s strategic push toward EV adoption, alternative fuels, sustainable manufacturing under Make in India and PLI schemes, and export-led global competitiveness.
Highlighting an ambitious roadmap for India’s highway infrastructure, announcing that all toll plazas across the country could be phased out by the end of 2026, Chief Guest, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways said, “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 also emphasized the benefits of the new system, he added, “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.”
Talking about the highways that are being built in the country, he said, “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% 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.”
Sharing a lighter moment, Gadkari spoke about the challenges of introducing reforms in a country as diverse as India. He recalled a past suggestion to replace vehicle horns with musical sounds like flute or tabla, which drew widespread criticism online.
The summit featured engaging panel discussions and keynote sessions with distinguished industry leaders including V V Muralikrishna, Executive Director – Non Fuel Business, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd; Anshul Arzare, MD & CEO, YES Securities; Vipul K Maheshwari, Executive Director – R&D, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd; Vikram Gulati, Country Head & 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 & Chairman, Omega Seiki Mobility; and Naveen Gupta, Founder, TREV Mobility.
Building on the strong foundation of its inaugural edition in 2025, the Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026 continued to spotlight excellence across design, performance, safety, innovation, and sustainability. The event honoured outstanding achievements across 35 categories, celebrating brands and innovations that are shaping the future 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.
