Driving Into New Terrain

Ice People

He owns the licence to use the world's oldest automobile magazine title, "Autocar," in India and has been successfully publishing the monthly for the last four years.

And now he's willing to allow UK's Haymarket group (the publishing conglomerate that has owned "Autocar" since 1895) to pick up a stake in his company Sorabjee Automotive Communications Pvt Ltd (SAC).

Meet Hormazd Sorbajee, 39, editor-promoter of "Autocar India." Since the new print media policy allows 74 per cent foreign equity in the non-news segment, Sorabjee says that he has "no hestitation in partnering the Haymarket group."

Currently, SAC, which publishes the magazine, is 100 per cent owned by Sorabjee.

Though open to selling a majority stake to the Haymarket group, he's quick to add that the issue is still to be discussed with the UK-based publishing house. "They have been busy expanding in other markets," he says.

For the record, Haymarket publishes at least 80 to 90 niche titles, including the well-known advertising magazine "Campaign" and the music mag "Gramophone," besides a range of other auto titles.

But being a self-confessed auto freak, Sorabjee will only look at getting new automobile titles from the Haymarket stable into India. Its bike mag, "TWO" (Two Wheels Only), could be one, he points out.

For the college drop out (St Xavier's in Mumbai) who dirtied his hands in garages buiding racing cars and participating in motor sports, Sorabjee has come a long way.

He began his career with "The Indian Auto Journal" in 1986 and later joined "Auto India," published by the Business India group.

In 1999, he branched out on his own to launch "Autocar India" which claims a circulation of 85,000 copies.

Solicitor general Soli Sorabjee's son says he was 12 when he first got behind the wheel. And he's not stopped driving ever since.

For the magazine, he test drives between 80 and 90 cars every year. Though he owns a BMW, his all-time favourite is the classic Ferrari Daytona.

Sorabjee's other passion is photography. "I was deeply into commercial photography, especially, interiors and jewellery. But after the "Autocar" launch, I could not keep up with the work load and closed my studio," he says. That did not deter him from leading the photo section in his company.

"I really give it to my photographers if the pictures are not good," he smiles.