Cars24 CEO calls for curbs on vehicles as Delhi’s AQI deteriorates

As toxic smog once again blankets the national capital, Cars24 CEO Vikram Chopra has issued a striking public appeal — one that cuts directly across his own business interests.

Amid Delhi’s rapidly declining Air Quality Index (AQI), Chopra urged the government to restrict car usage, diesel consumption, and any activity that worsens pollution, even though his company operates in the business of buying and selling cars. The comments, which have triggered wide discussion online, reflect the growing frustration among residents as the capital struggles through yet another winter of hazardous air.

I run an autotech company. My entire business depends on people buying, selling and using cars and even I am saying that Delhi needs far stricter, far more uncomfortable rules to fix the air. When someone whose livelihood comes from mobility is asking the government to curb…

— Vikram Chopra (@vikramchopra) November 23, 2025

https://x.com/vikramchopra/status/1992611869706878980?s=20

A car business leader who wants fewer cars on the road

In his post on X Chopra made it clear that his appeal stems from personal concern, not corporate strategy.

“My livelihood comes from people buying and driving cars. Mobility is the backbone of my business. Yet here I am, publicly asking the government to restrict cars, restrict diesel, restrict anything that pumps poison into the sky,” he wrote.

His admission — coming from the head of one of India’s largest used-car platforms — has added an unusual weight to the debate. It isn’t an environmental activist calling for curbs, but a business leader whose revenue directly depends on vehicle movement.

Chopra stressed that he is speaking as a citizen and a parent first.

“I have a five-year-old who should be playing outdoors but instead asks why the sky looks dirty again,” he shared.

“I have 80-year-old parents who hesitate to step outside because the air stings their throats.”

For him, this crisis is not abstract.

“My son and my parents do not get replacement lungs when Delhi fails to act. Neither do yours,” he wrote.

Delhi’s AQI crisis: a predictable winter emergency

Delhi has been recording ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality for days. At one point the city logged an AQI of 352, crossing levels considered dangerous for prolonged exposure. Schools have repeatedly shifted between shutting down and moving to online classes, visibility has dropped, and respiratory discomfort has become routine.

Chopra pointed out that the crisis is hardly new — every winter, the same pattern returns, accompanied by temporary restrictions and short-term fixes.

What Chopra wants the government to do

His suggestions are direct:

• Reinstate and strengthen restrictions on car movement.
• Impose curbs on diesel-dependent activities.
• Crack down on industrial pollution and other major contributors.
• Treat the situation as a public health emergency, not an administrative inconvenience.

The fact that these recommendations come from someone whose company depends on automotive mobility underscores the severity of the issue.

As he puts it:

“When someone like me starts arguing for fewer cars on the road, you should understand how desperate things have become.”

A plea that reflects the city’s growing exhaustion

Chopra’s message resonates with a sentiment shared by many in Delhi: the exhaustion of waiting for meaningful, long-term action. His call stands out because it reframes the crisis not as an environmental debate, but as a human one — involving children, parents, and everyday life.

With winter far from over and pollution levels unlikely to improve soon, the urgency in his words signals what many residents already feel: Delhi is running out of time, and out of safe air.