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Shyam G. Menon

Mr Dilip Chhabria.

Mumbai , Nov. 25

WHEN Mr Dilip Chhabria cites in jest the new expressway and lure of stay in Lonavla as reasons for shifting base to Pune, they assume metaphorical hue. For, his repute in the world of design is indeed gaining altitude. And the modest facility Mumbaikars know as DC Design, is set to do pre-assembly work on one of the fastest British sportscars by June 2004.

A fallout of the January 2003 Detroit Auto Show, where the DC Design-made Aston Martin V8 Vantage was unveiled, the company landed an assignment from UK's Noble Moy Automotive Ltd to design a new sportscar. The latter is a legend of sorts in British motoring, formed by the designer, Mr Lee Noble (associated with cars such as Ultima, Ascari and McLaren F1) along with Mr Tony Moy, introducing the M12 sportscar in October 2000.

As per data on the Internet, the M12's GTO-3 model uses the 3-litre Duratec V6 engine of the Ford Mondeo ST220, twin turbo-charged to give 340 bhp against a kerb weight of 1,050 kg. A lightweight on steroids with a superb chassis keeping it wedded to tarmac, one report on Rollcentre Racing's decision to run the M12 at the 2004 British GT Championships, consequently had this remark: "With 350 bhp powering 1,000 kg, it is likely to require ballast."

When tested by UK's Autocar magazine, the M12 sprinted from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, and 100 mph in 9.4 seconds, putting it in the same league as the 911 Turbo and the TVR Tuscan. But what earned M12 its standing in high-end autos was the price tag of around £50,000, significantly lower than the Ferraris and Porsches it competes with.

Noble Moy used to outsource the M12's pre-assembly work from Hi-Tech Autos, South Africa. According to Mr Chhabria, that will shift fully to India, with DC Design set to supply 300 units of its new design to Noble Moy. The car will be unveiled at a joint premiere by Noble Moy and DC Design at the Geneva Auto Show of March 2004. Later, it will be shipped out in numbers from here, minus engine, seats and tyres which will be added in UK.

It can't be said yet if the DC version will replace the existing M12 or complement it at a higher price band. But viewed from an Indian angle, the tie-up puts DC Design and Noble Moy in the higher echelons of the British automotive market, the Tatas with MG Rover already reported to host the Indica-based City Rover at the high volume, lower end.

For DC Design, the 300 cars are a small step towards bigger volumes, something it missed out on when Mr Chhabria's earlier work — a small car called L'il, hoped to be mass-produced in South America — ran into rough weather following economic downturn that side.

What is of generic interest in the Noble Moy case is that Indian costings — high quality at low cost juxtaposed on the constant design tweaks performance cars require — have broken ground in small-volume, high-value cars, opening up a fresh set of outsourcing possibilities in the process.

"We are looking at 800 cars per annum by the fifth year," Mr Chhabria said of the British deal.

In DC's favour are its constant supply of skilled workers, costs that are 20-30 times cheaper, integrated design and prototyping facilities, ability to make a running prototype and shorter delivery cycle from design to prototype.

It is giving up the overgrown workshop that has been its Mumbai home and investing Rs 30 crore to build an international quality design studio in Pune with a limited edition production facility. Mr Chhabria is enamoured of that niche production profile; he has a few Rolls Royces sent down by a British party foraying into customising and talks on with interested others.

Further, realising the need for an international face, DC will reinvent itself by February 2004, floating a European arm with Indian operations merging into it. Fresh funding may also happen, the company's equity already held 28-30 per cent by HFCL, Jardine Fleming and Kailash Biyani & Associates.

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