Which Car Should I Buy?

Acko Drive

Acko Drive editor-in-chief Siddharth Vinayak Patankar has spent the last 20 years helping people make the best decision when it comes to buying cars and bikes. He'll help you understand exactly what you can get for your money, and how to choose the right model and variant. Plus, all the insider tips about what's launching soon and what to avoid! Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, one of the best-known faces of Indian automotive journalism, has set up a new media entity with Acko Drive as its first platform. It focuses on bringing consumers relevant content from the automobile industry.

  1. 06/26/2025

    RARE EARTH MAGNETS THE HIDDEN DANGER TO INDIA’s EV FUTURE

    Rare earth magnets are the invisible engines behind EVs, smartphones, and satellites, and now, they’re at the center of a global supply chain crisis. With China tightening exports and India’s EV industry hanging in the balance, one tiny magnet is not just steering the future of automobiles but rewriting geopolitics.The future of electric vehicles may not depend on batteries or mileage. But on rare earth magnets. These tiny but powerful components, especially Neodymium magnets, are essential to synchronous motors used in EVs. But there’s a problem: China controls over 90% of global magnet production, and delayed exports are shaking up the EV supply chain worldwide.In this Episode 6 of Which Car Should I buy, Siddharth Vinayak Patankar is breaking down: What rare earth magnets are, and how they power electric carsWhy India’s EV industry is under pressure as import requests go unansweredWhat critical raw materials have to do with national security?How companies like IREL, TVS Motor, and Bosch India are responding?What India’s ₹5,000 crore push to localize magnet production means for the future?The rise of rare-earth-free motors, and why IITs are joining the R&D raceFrom EV crisis to geopolitical moves, this is the full story of how one of the smallest components is causing one of the biggest disruptions in clean tech. The rare earth magnet crisis can affect electric car production in India such for popular cars like the Tata Nexon EV, Tata Harrier EV, MG Windsor, Mahindra BE 6 and electric scooters such as the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ather Rizta and more.

    22 min

About

Acko Drive editor-in-chief Siddharth Vinayak Patankar has spent the last 20 years helping people make the best decision when it comes to buying cars and bikes. He'll help you understand exactly what you can get for your money, and how to choose the right model and variant. Plus, all the insider tips about what's launching soon and what to avoid! Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, one of the best-known faces of Indian automotive journalism, has set up a new media entity with Acko Drive as its first platform. It focuses on bringing consumers relevant content from the automobile industry.