Summary

As the Indian economy booms, the latest must-have accessory is the car. With increasingly affordable models on the market, and growing demand for cars as a status symbol and sign of social development, people’s lives are becoming intertwined with car ownership. Justin and Anita explore what owning a car means to this nation of cyclists by joining the chaos of India’s roads on a madcap roadtrip across the country, to find out the truth behind the dream.

A regular traveller to India, Anita is keen to find out how money is creating a new and modern country as she heads west and south in the flashy air-conditioned Mahindra Bolero. Justin is on a mission to discover the rural back-lands and find out what industrialisation means for India’s traditions in the iconic, but notoriously unreliable, traditional stalwart of Indian cars – the Ambassador. Setting off on their separate ways from New Delhi, it’s time to brave every sort of perilous road the country can throw at them to meet up three weeks later in Chennai.

Visiting India’s biggest cities as well as rural villages, each use their journeys to find out just who these new car owners are, while facing some unexpected challenges along the way. Whether it’s breaking down by the side of the road, facing suicidal peacocks or tasting luxury in a Maharaja’s vintage Rolls Royce, this is a different look at a country on the move. From camping out with the hill tribes of Orissa to glamorous Bollywood stars in supercars, these revealing programmes discover there is a lot more to Indian car-ownership than merely getting behind the wheel.

At the end of the road the exhausted travellers are Finally reunited in Chennai. Justin and Anita have discovered two sides to a new and vibrant India as modernisation and booming industry comes at a price. Is India ready for the millions of cars about to be unleashed? And who is benefiting from the boom and who is being left behind? One thing is for certain; India is gearing up for an auto revolution.