Acquisition

Spinny buys Autocar India and sister auto titles

By Startup Enthusiast · 20 March 2025

Date: 20 March 2025
Company: Spinny
What it does: Haymarket SAC
Kind: Acquisition
Based in: Gurugram
Founded: 2015

What they do

Spinny’s parent bought Haymarket SAC’s Indian car titles, including Autocar India, Autocar Professional and What Car?

What happened

India

Why it matters

Haymarket SAC is a venture between UK publisher Haymarket and the Sorabjee family; the deal mixed cash and shares; hormazd Sorabjee stays in charge of the…

The details

Spinny bought Haymarket SAC’s auto titles in India.
Titles: Autocar India, Autocar Professional, What Car? India.
Deal paid in cash and equity.
Hormazd Sorabjee continues to run them.
Size of deal not disclosed.

The bigger picture

It gives a used-car seller a trusted car media brand.
Media draws car buyers early in their search.
It was one of four buys along with Truebil, Scouto and GoMechanic.

About the business

Spinny buys, checks and resells used cars online and through its own car hubs.
Almost all revenue (about 98%) comes from selling cars; the rest from commissions, services and ads.
It also runs car loans, the GoMechanic servicing business and the Autocar India titles.

Founders

Niraj Singh, Founder and CEO
Mohit Gupta, Co-founder
Ramanshu Mahaur, Co-founder and CTO

About Spinny

Product: A platform that helps consumers buy, sell, and exchange used cars.
Customers: Individual car buyers and sellers, plus dealers and OEM partners.
How it makes money: It earns from car sale margins, exchange activity, and related services such as financing and warranties.
What sets it apart: Certified inspection and a managed, end-to-end transaction experience.
Operations: Operates an inventory-backed and platform-assisted used-car retail network.