New Delhi, September 11, 2024: The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex national body of automobile retail in India, today announced the appointment of Mr. C S Vigneshwar as FADA’s 37th President and for the years 2024-26. The decision was made at the 315th Governing Counci Meeting, which was held immediately after the 60th Annual General Meeting.
Mr. Vigneshwar is the Managing Director of Anaamalais Toyota based out of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and has other dealerships of Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV) and Ather Energy. Besides this,his business group known as the ARC group has interests in goods transportation, drinking water, packaged foods, green energy alternatives, farming, FMCG distribution and education.
Mr. Vigneshwar has been a member of the Apex Consultative Committee of VECV for the last 16 years. He has been part of the Toyota Dealer Council for 11 years and served the Head of the Toyota India Service Dealer Council for 7 years. He has been a council member of FADA for the last 12 years. Mr.Vigneshwar is also serving as the Area Commander for Home Guards in Coimbatore City.
The Governing Council also elevated the following for the years 2024-26:
• Mr. Sai Giridhar, MD, Saisha Motors Pvt. Ltd. (Dealer for Skoda Volvo Cars & MG Motors) based out of Jaipur, Rajasthan, as Vice President.
• Mr. Amar Jatin Sheth, Managing Director for Group Shaman (Dealer for Honda Cars, Volkswagen and Triumph) based out of Mumbai, Maharashtra, as Secretary
The Governing Council unanimously elected Mr. Pradeep Agarwal, as Treasurer for the years 2024-26. Mr. Agarwal is the Managing Partner for JMG Group (Dealer of Hero MotoCorp) based out of Cuttack & Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
FADA places on record its deep gratitude for the immense contribution of its outgoing President, Mr. Manish Raj Singhania, whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing key industry reforms and strengthening the voice of auto dealers across the nation.
While handing over charge, Mr. Manish Raj Singhania said, "It has been an immense privilege to serve as FADA's President during a time of significant transformation for the auto retail sector. Representing the most vital arm of the automotive industry—dealers—has been both an honour and a responsibility I hold deeply. Over the past two years, we have collaborated with all stakeholders to address key industry issues and ease challenges for the auto retail community.
We made significant progress with the Model Dealer Agreement, with two major brands already adopting it and others in advanced stages. Additionally, our efforts with financial institutions have helped align dealers and financial partners, ensuring better cooperation on critical concerns. One of our most notable achievements is the growing focus on retail figures over wholesale—an initiative FADA pioneered six years ago, now gaining recognition from OEMs. As they say, 'Rome wasn’t built in a day,' but this represents a true victory for our association.