Ex-Banker Builds Rs 160 Crore Business Empire in Communication and Luxury Cars

From launching a digital marketing firm with just two employees to building two successful businesses with a combined turnover of over Rs 160 crore, Himanshu Arya, a first generation entrepreneur, has carved a name for himself in both the communication and automobile industries.

Himanshu started his entrepreneurial journey in 2009 with Grapes Worldwide, a digital marketing and communication agency. With an initial investment of Rs 20 lakh and a two-member team, he slowly built it into a Rs 120 crore company with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, London, and Dubai.

Himanshu Arya at one of his luxury car showrooms where affordability meets aspiration (Photos: Special Arrangement)

The agency has worked with top brands like Flipkart, Mankind, and Bajaj Finance. Though he is no longer involved in the daily operations, the company is now managed by his wife Shraddha Agrawal, an MBA from MICA Ahmedabad, who joined in 2013.

In 2024, Himanshu stepped into an entirely new space — the pre-owned luxury car market — and launched Luxury Cart, a digitally enabled and offline business that sells, buys, and services pre-owned premium cars.


Within just five months of starting operations in November 2024, the company has clocked over Rs 40 crore in turnover and is averaging monthly sales of Rs 8.5 crore.

Luxury Cart targets customers who aspire to own luxury cars but are conscious of pricing. It operates in the affordable luxury segment and is structured as a direct to consumer business.

In addition to car sales, the company also offers service packages, extended warranties, insurance support, and loan assistance. The first store was opened at Golf Course Road in Gurgaon and runs under the registered name Gaup Automotive Technologies Private Limited.

Starting with a stock of 30 cars, the business now sells 15 to 20 cars each month. In fact, 24 cars were sold in the very first month. Their inventory includes popular brands like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche, Mini, Lexus, Jaguar, Ford, Toyota, Jeep, and Kia.

Balancing two industries Himanshu leads successful ventures in both marketing and automobiles

Customers can browse and book vehicles through the Luxury Cart website or mobile app, using filters such as fuel type, manufacturing year, kilometres driven, and body type. An online product e-book has also been created to provide a detailed view of each car, with separate versions for desktop and mobile users.

The physical showroom in Gurgaon is spread over 10,000 square feet and can hold up to 40 cars at a time. A second, larger showroom is currently being set up.

In April 2025, the company also launched a 40,000 square feet workshop where every vehicle undergoes mechanical and cosmetic checks before being sold.

Himanshu says the company aims to ensure that customers face no issues for at least the first 15,000 kilometres. “Our cars are as good as new,” he says.

The company sources all its cars from within India. There are two major ways they buy vehicles — directly from customers through online leads and through OEM channels where used cars are auctioned.

Occasionally, brokers help with deals. The price of cars ranges from Rs 18 to 20 lakh for entry-level luxury vehicles like Jaguar to over Rs 1 crore for high-end models like Porsche.

Himanshu ensures every pre-owned car is thoroughly checked and restored before reaching the customer

Himanshu invested Rs 20 crore of his personal savings to set up the store, workshop, and digital platforms. He says running the business is not without challenges. “It’s a tricky business. We need to choose the right cars in terms of quality and have to be very cautious to avoid dead inventory. It is a patient buying business with competitive listing.”

He adds, “One more thing that we need to keep in mind is that the marketing channel needs to be advertised on a parallel basis to convert the leads into sales. Everyone likes to buy a perfect car, so getting the car technically fixed and presentable is a major concern for us.”

Recalling a bad experience, Himanshu says, “A customer sold us a car with a forged RC. We couldn't verify the documents online and ended up paying for the vehicle. Later, we found out it had a pending loan and was part of a fraud racket. That car is still lying in our inventory as dead stock.”

Luxury Cart started with 40 employees and has now grown to a team of 85, with half of them being technicians, service advisors, and other technical staff. The rest handle sales and customer service.

Himanshu was born into a middle-class family in Karnal. His father worked at the Food Corporation of India and his mother at Punjab National Bank. “I had a good middle class childhood with a lot of focus on studies, topped with tough parents,” he says.

“I was an average student but my sister was the topper of the class. She got AIR 21 in her CBSE 12th, where as I was at 78%. I always had the pressure of performing like her. Being really good at math was my claim to fame."

After finishing his Class 12 from Pratap Public School in 2002, he enrolled in IHM Pusa for hotel management but realised early that it was not the right fit. Inspired by his sister who was preparing for CAT, he started preparing as well and scored 95%, eventually joining IMT Ghaziabad for an MBA in finance.

As founder of Grapes Worldwide, Himanshu has worked with top brands in the digital marketing space

At 22, he was placed at Kotak Mahindra Bank with a salary of Rs 8.5 lakh and later worked at Citibank for a year. But the entrepreneurial bug pushed him to start Grapes Worldwide in 2009.

Today, Himanshu lives in Saket, South Delhi, with his wife, their daughters Rayesha and Siaana, and his parents. In his free time, he enjoys driving and spending time with his daughters.

To young entrepreneurs, his advice is simple. “Believe in your idea and work hard. Luck will be on your side and you will make it.” - ©TWL