The Hindu Business Line : Student designs rev up Auto Expo

New Delhi, Jan. 17 Catch them young. The slogan seems more appropriate at the current auto expo where at least seven educational institutions from India and abroad have student representatives who have designed prototypes using innovative concepts.

Participants from School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Amity University, IIT-Delhi and Kanpur, NID Ahmedabad, Delhi College of Engineering, BITS Mesra, and R V College and Coventry, UK had the industry eating out of their hands with their futuristic concepts and designs.

According to Mr Swabhiman Das, an industrial design student from SPA, “SPA has designed and displayed automotive products, which are a mix of ergonomic, aesthetic, stylistic, technologically advanced and market-driven products.”

“We wanted to take up the automotive styling challenge. Our concept revolved around an eco-friendly vehicle for the Indian roads. As students, we wanted a design that was emission free and environment friendly.”

He said their concept vehicle was human-powered with less vigour and easily operated even by geriatrics and women past their prime.

Official sources said, industry giants like Maruti, Magma, Tata, and Renault besides designers like Dilip Chhabria have shown keen inclination to designs produced by the students.

Most of the projects, costing between Rs 25,000 and Rs 3.5 lakh, have been part-funded by the educational institutes and the participants themselves.

According to Mr Mandeep Singh, head of department, SPA, “The students have displayed various products like ergonomically-designed chair for Bajaj Auto, accessories for two-wheelers, juice-vending cart, backrest for city-rider bike, vehicles designed for shopping malls, for the physically-challenged, for patients with arthritis and pregnant women.”

So if Amity School of Engineering and Design came up with the India’s first Tri-Fuel Hybrid concept car with multiple fuel options like batteries, auto LPG and petrol, the Delhi College of Engineering team displayed solar bio-diesel hybrid vehicles, a Supermileage Vehicle (SMV) and Solar Car.

The IIT-Kanpur team took inspiration from the Indian cheetah and developed a prototype SUV modelled on the animal’s strength.

“Most youngsters remodel their vehicle after it is bought. Therefore, we wanted to develop a concept which would go with the yo-look. This came as an inspiration for the SUV which rightly spells attitude,” said Ms Sneh Singh of IIT Kanpur.

IIT Delhi displayed two models — the IIT-Delhi Baja Car sponsored by JCB and an all terrain vehicle to be used on rough, muddy and bumpy tracks.

The other vehicle that is on display includes axlr8r 2008, a formula racing car. “We want India to dominate in the formula circuit and therefore thought of this concept”, said a participant.

Says Mr Chaitnya Rajwade, an automotive design student at Coventry, UK, “it is more of looking into the future through these expos. The hands-on feedback from the industry also gives students an insight into futuristic designs and needs”.