The Thrill is Back

The dawn of an auto enthusiast’s desire begins with a sound, or perhaps the absence of it. A soft whirr, a hum like a jet taxiing, a faint whistle of current gathering strength. Then, with a stomp on the pedal, there’s pure violence. The MG Cyberster, India’s new poster child for affordable performance, all but takes off. It is silent but savage, as if gravity itself forgot for a moment that it exists. It is a sensation that Indian roads haven’t often delivered, certainly not at a price that undercuts European sports cars by several continents and currencies.

Performance, long treated as a rich man’s luxury in India—or perhaps as curiosity or a guilty pleasure—is suddenly, and thrillingly, in vogue. The Indian buyer, who spent decades being drilled and brainwashed on mileage, resale value and the sacred efficiency of the 1.2-litre engine, is now flirting with torque figures and 0-100 kmph timings. A power shift is under way. It may not be loud, but it is unmistakable. It may not be niche, but it is growing.

India is getting its driving mojo back.

Throttle Impulse

India’s newfound performance tsunami is no accident; it is a cultural shift colliding with a technological earthquake. On the cultural side is a rising middle class: younger, better-travelled, YouTube-fuelled, car-review-saturated and itching for machines that are more than a hunk of metal that gets you from A to B. For them, a car is not just mobility; it is mood, identity and rebellion. What was once aspirational—a Civic VTEC, a Laura vRS, a Polo 1.6 GT—has become attainable, albeit with a new set of badges, turbochargers and batteries.

On the tech side, EVs have done something audacious. They have democratised acceleration. Instant torque, once a performance privilege, is now available without a V6, a fuel bill large enough to finance a small wedding, or even a turbocharger. Internationally, this trend is hard to miss. In Europe, affordable performance EVs like the MG4 XPower and Cupra Born have redefined ‘entry-level performance’. In China, the hot-hatch renaissance is already electric. America’s muscle-car culture, too, is reluctantly but unmistakably migrating to batteries.

India, ever the pragmatic adopter, is finally tasting this blend of practicality and thrill.

Machine = Personality

That brings us to the cars themselves. MG’s Cyberster is only the beginning, top-of-mind because it is India’s first proper EV roadster. It is not cheap. But its allure is irresistible. It has dramatic James Bond-ish scissor doors, 500-plus horsepower equivalents, does 0-100 kmph in three seconds, and sports a design that looks like it was born in a Marvel set. Look closer, and the revival is deeper than just another new, flamboyant EV.

Turbo-petrols are making a return too. Dual-clutch gearboxes, once shunned as ‘too premium’ for the mass market, are back with an eye on revenge. Volkswagen and Skoda have developed a cult following among driving purists. Hyundai’s N-Line has proven that even hatchbacks can sport fangs. Rumours of Honda planning to launch the Elevate RS have enthusiasts drooling. Suzuki, despite all its practicality, continues to sell millions of cars with naturally-aspirated engines that rev willingly and behave honestly: the essence of old-school driving charm.

Add to this a global resurgence in affordable enthusiast cars—from Toyota’s GR series to Renault’s Alpine EV program—and India’s shift feels less like an isolated anomaly and more like the local chapter of a planetary movement.

Roads, Reality and India

India is not Monaco and its potholed roads are not exactly Nürburgring Nordschleife. Performance-buyers here live in the real world, with the highest speed-breakers in the world, erratic infrastructure, and traffic that oscillates between sluggish and apocalyptic. Yet, hot-rods are selling fast in our country.

The paradox reveals an intrinsic reality. India doesn’t want speed; it wants responsive power. It craves confidence, the ability to overtake without a prayer, merge without a miracle, climb ghats without the powertrain wheezing for mercy. Cars that can do this feel ‘performance-oriented’ even at 40 kmph.

On the other side are EVs which sport an instant surge, perfectly tuned for this very Indian sentiment. Turbo-petrols too fall in the same street-gang. Their renaissance is less about redlining and more about effortlessness. And the market is listening. It is reacting too.

Global Echo, Local Roar

Globally, the performance market is going through its own identity crisis. Europe wants clean performance, America wants it loud, China wants it digital, and Japan wants lightweight mechanical purity. India, characteristically, wants a bit of everything. That cocktail is why India may soon emerge as the epicentre of the next generation of ‘affordable performance cars’, much the way we became a global hub for small cars in the 2000s.

Already, global automakers view India as fertile ground for sporty crossovers, warmed-over hatchbacks and electric thrill machines that are too expensive for South-East Asia and too affordable for Europe. India is the Goldilocks zone. If the wave continues, performance may not just revive, it may redefine.

No Mass Market Plans

Performance cars in India will never be mass-market, but they will influence everyone. They already are. Better suspensions, sharper engines, teethier brakes, safer structures and engaging gearboxes are trickling in. Car firms can no longer get away with numb steering and groggy engines. Buyers, awake to a world of bliss and comparison, are demanding personality.

The Indian consumer is evolving from kitna deti hai to kitna bhaagti hai? That is a revolution in itself.

The Indian auto market is finally learning a truth that Europe and Japan discovered decades ago: that while driving is functional, it can be fun too. As Indian roads fill with cars that deliver not just efficiency but emotion too, the country’s automotive identity is being reshaped. For India, this revival of thrill is a sign of confidence. But for the world and its automakers, it is a grim reminder that India’s enthusiast can be ignored only at their own peril.