PM Modi's 'car diplomacy' on display again as he rides with French President Macron

Mumbai: In what was an example of car diplomacy and one-on-one chat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron travelled in the same vehicle from the iconic Lok Bhavan at Malabar Hill to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel off the Gateway of India.

While travelling through the Netaji Subhas Chandra Modi also known as the Marine Drive or Queen’s Necklace, the two world leaders engaged in private discussions.

Modi and Macron share excellent personal rapport and have met in bilateral and multilateral meetings several times.

At Lok Bhavan, both leaders held discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas as enshrined in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and reviewed the India-France Strategic Partnership.

At the Taj Hotel, the two leaders inaugurated the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and addressed a gathering of business leaders, start-ups, researchers, and other innovators from both countries.

“After the talks and press statements at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai, President Macron and I are on the way to the other programmes, which include the India-France Innovation Forum,” Modi posted on X with a photo of him and Macron in the car. “Trust, openness and ambition,” Macron posted on X when the two leaders engage in a handshake in the backdrop of national flags of India and France.