The Indian Car Market Is a Joke… and We’re the Punchline

From missing features to premium-price penny-pinching, I'm exposing the daylight loot this week.

This week on DRS Diaries: We’re breaking down why you’re kicked out of your own car during CNG refills (and why it actually makes sense), diving into Harley Earl’s legendary influence on car design, stepping into The Driver’s Room to rant about India’s delusional car pricing, and spotlighting a ₹98 windshield-washer hack that works better than half the “premium” fluids on the shelf. Let’s get into it !

Car Tech Explained Like You're 5

Why You’re Asked to Step Out During CNG Filling

Ever wondered why the pump guy waves you out like you’re sitting on a ticking time bomb? Let’s gas it out.
CNG is stored at crazy high pressure. One leak, one spark, one mistake and things get spicy fast.
So stepping out isn’t drama. It’s physics, safety, and common sense in one combo.
​Imagine this:​
A tiny static spark from your clothes? Enough to make leaked gas go full DDLJ Diwali.
A small leak entering your cabin? That’s basically sitting inside a balloon someone is filling with a compressor.
A sudden pressure jerk during filling? Your car can shake like it had too much Red Bull.

So next time someone tells you to get out, picture this:
Less people inside = less sparks, less risk, more safety.
And as we know it, better safety = better refills. Simple.

This Week in Petrolhead History: Nov 22, 1893 The Birth of Harley Earl - The man who invented car design before it was even a thing. ​ Harley Earl, born on 22 November 1893, would go on to become the first-ever head of design at General Motors and the guy responsible for turning cars from plain machines into rolling works of art. He introduced ideas that were decades ahead of their time: Concept cars Tailfins Wrap-around windshields Dream-car culture The philosophy that cars should stir emotion, not just move people Before Earl, cars were boxes on wheels. After Earl, they became statements, personalities, extensions of their owners. His most iconic creations? The early Corvettes and the Firebird concept cars - futuristic, dramatic, and pure Americana. Why it matters:​ Modern automotive styling, from supercar silhouettes to everyday sedans, owes its foundation to this one man’s imagination.

The Driver’s Room

Car Prices Have Gone Delusional (And We’re Just Accepting It)

Somewhere between BS6 norms, corporate greed, and India’s obsession with “kitna average deti hai,” car prices quietly walked into the gym, bulked up, and never stopped.

₹50 lakh for a 2.0L turbo SUV with cloth on the roof?
₹20 lakh for a hatchback without rear AC vents?
₹12 lakh for a 3-cylinder engine that vibrates more than your phone on silent mode?

And the craziest part?
​We’re still buying them. Happily.

Manufacturers figured out the cheat code:
Give Indians a big touchscreen, ambient lighting, and a “connected car app,” and suddenly the missing safety features, thin sheet metal, and cost-cut plastics magically disappear from everyone’s memory.

We’re the only market where:

• You pay more to get less.
• Facelifts remove features.
• “Top model” still needs accessories.
• 30 lakh rupees gets you an SUV with four speakers.
• And people defend it in the comments like they own shares in the company.

The industry knows exactly what it’s doing.
Every year, features get deleted, engines get smaller, and prices jump like they’re trying to hit pole position. Meanwhile, the government quietly raises taxes and duties, and we pretend this is normal.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
​Cars aren’t getting expensive because they must. Cars are getting expensive because we don’t say no.

The moment a model sells out in 30 seconds, the next facelift arrives with even more deletion and an even bigger price tag, and we still line up like it’s the iPhone launch. (shameful either way)

Maybe it’s time we stop normalizing “overpriced mediocrity” and start demanding real value again.

Because if we don’t…
2026 might just gift us a ₹35 lakh hatchback with a “sunroof subscription.”

Trust me guys, this is gonna snowball into something big if not addressed on time. The "theek hi hai" mindset really needs to go away because in most cases even if you stretch your wallet and buy a good car, the infrastructure is so terrible you'd never wanna step out on the roads again, at least in most "metro cities." More on this next week ig.

Keep revving,

Parth Kusalkar Founder, DRS Diaries.

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. © 2025 DRS Diaries
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