THRISSUR: At a time when women have been making their presence felt in various fields, cars and bikes have, more or less, remained the preserve of men. But 18-year-old Mia is determined to change all that. She has taken her passion for supercars and bikes onto social media and her videos have been making waves.
The daughter of international rally driver Joseph C Jos, Mia had an early initiation into the world of high-performance vehicles. “With time, my interest turned into passion as I started grasping the intricacies of cars and bikes.” Her videos on the Octane Girl Instagram handle has had more than 13 million views. “My father is my inspiration; my mother, Runa, is also a big supporter. From shooting my videos to offering suggestions, my parents and younger sister have been a great help with the content,” says Mia. She obtained her licence soon after turning 18 this year.
Though she review car models, Mia says she wants to inspire more women into the field of supercars and bikes. Her favourite superbike is the Ninja ZX-10R, while the Polo GT tops her list of best-loved cars. She is also a fan of Lamborghini cars.
“It began in 2020 when we all were locked up due to Covid. Through my father’s friends and family, I introduced various luxury cars and superbikes to the public. Rather than explaining the technical side, I did what I felt was interesting with each vehicle. I wanted to influence more girls to try their hand at driving and welcome them to the world of high-performance vehicles,” she says.
Mia wants to take her interest forward and meet renowned racers. Mahindra recently invited her to the launch of a bike in Hyderabad. “I was the only woman present there among the invited social media influencers in the automobile sector. It was definitely a proud moment for me,” she shares. Hailing from Thrissur, Mia is currently pursuing BMS from St Teresa’s College Ernakulam.