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India is turning into an SUV country
The culture and meaning of cars are changing as the country gets richer.
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All over India, a growing middle class is rushing out to buy the ultimate expression of individualism.
PHOTO: AFP
The Economist
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Getting into Bangalore, India’s start-up capital, is easy: arrive at the gorgeous new garden-themed terminal, collect your bags, and zip down the buttery-smooth National Highway 44 into the city. Getting around Bangalore is another matter. It is the most heavily gridlocked city in India, with average speeds during rush hour of 18kmh, according to TomTom, a navigation-technology firm.
That has not stopped the city’s residents from buying ever more vehicles. The number of registered cars in Bangalore jumped from two million in April 2020 to 2.4 million by April this year. Last year it overtook Delhi, India’s car-dependent capital, to become the city with the highest number of private cars in both absolute terms and relative to the population. Bangalore adds a new car to its streets roughly every four minutes.
