HPCL Presents Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026 have honoured Tarun Garg with the title of Auto Personality of the Year for his leadership at Hyundai Motor India Limited. Garg has made history as the first Indian to head the company in nearly three decades of its operations in India. He was appointed for the role in 2025, and officially took the charge in January 2026. Garg succeeded Unsoo Kim, who moved back to South Korea to assume a senior role at Hyundai Motor Company after his successful tenure in India.
In addition, the second edition of the Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026, powered by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, have recognised outstanding achievers across multiple automotive categories, celebrating excellence in performance,
technology, design, and consumer impact. The awards highlighted innovation and progress across the mobility ecosystem. It hosted several key industry stakeholders on a single platform. The event was attended by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH), as chief guest, who outlined his vision for the future of India’s automotive and mobility sector.
HPCL Presents Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026: Tarun Garg Experience and Background Details
Tarun Garg began his leadership journey at Hyundai Motor India Limited in 2019 as Head of Sales, Service & Marketing, where he strengthened customer engagement strategies. Promoted to COO in 2023, he drove operational excellence and led record performance, including three consecutive years of best-ever sales, peak profitability, and highest EBITDA margin in FY24. He also played a key role in Hyundai’s landmark IPO in 2024 and spearheaded digital initiatives like MyHyundai and HSMART, boosting customer satisfaction to over 90% NPS. Now as MD & CEO, he aims to steer Hyundai’s next phase of growth with focus on strategy, customers, and localisation. Tarun Garg is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Delhi Technological University and holds an MBA degree from IIM Lucknow.
HPCL Presents Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026 Other Key Attractions
After a successful first stint last year, Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2026, presented by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), returned for 2026, based on the theme ‘India’s Mobility Mission 2030: Clean Tech, Smart Manufacturing, Global Vision.’ The event highlighted the automotive industry’s fast-growing shift towards cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable mobility solutions. It also brought together key industry stakeholders to discuss emerging technologies and future trends shaping the sector.
