8th Styling and Design Conclave

The 12^th edition of the Indian Auto Expo isn’t totally about manufactures and their appealing vehicular delights. It is a vital platform for other forms of manufacturing; one which includes ‘Design’. The 8^th Styling and Design Conclave organised by SIAM (Society Of Indian Manufacturers) is one such initiative that brings together industry experts to share their views and experiences concerning design. Based on theme “Emerging Markets: Creating Value through Design”, this year’s conclave had imminent speakers like Ian Callum, Design Head, Jaguar Cars;  Tarun Aggrawal, Design Head, Maruti Suzuki Ltd, Mike Simcoe, Design Head (Asia – Pacific), General Motors, Siddharth Lal, MD & CEO, Either Motors Ltd; Anil Saini, Design Head GM India; Axel Breun, Director (Concept Cars), Renault Design; Romulus Rost, Head of Interior Design, VW Potsdam Studio; Magnus Aspegren, Director (Design Works), BMW to name a few.

The opening session had Micheal Simcoe, Excutive Director, Global Design at General Motors discuss the development of concept cars within the Chevrolet portfolio. “GM’c concept vehicle is a global answer to the needs of emerging markets, particularly of India”, commented Micheal Simcoe. A well known name to design; Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design shared his thoughts on the British marquees design outlook. “Jaguar has always been a forward thinking, pushing the boundaries of design and technology. That philosophy informs the work of Jaguar design to this day, demonstrated most recently with the F-TYPE sports cars and C-X17 sports crossover concept vehicle, with the latter demonstrating Jaguar principles of agility, performance and beauty in a completely new way”, commented Ian.

Axel Breun, Design Director Concept Cars, Renault Design basically spoke about concepts which have been a driving force for the French manufacturer. Their tagline “Drive the Change” is at the core of this philosophy which aims to capture an entire family of concepts comprising of names such as Captur, R Space, Frendzy, Twin 2, Twin Run and the most recent one being ‘KWID’ – which is currently on exhibit at Renault stable. KWID is basically a very futuristic two seater SUV with a 4x2 drivetrain. The reason provided for developing such a concept is that the company aims as attracting young audiences. One of the key technologies on board include an onboard camera that sends images to your navigation system. Axel stressed that this is a ‘Pure Concept Car’. He did not dismiss the fact similar to it, there could be something coming Renault after to show. Whether globally or for the Indian market is something that only time would tell. He also stated that this was the first that a concept like this one has been made for a country like India. There was also a mention of Renault Alpine – A110 – 50, which is a modern adaptation of the legendary Alpine Racing Series and celebrating companies 50 year association with brand ‘Alpine’.

To authenticate today’s young designers, the industry alongside the conclave held a contest called the “Automotive Design Challenge”, titled ‘Re-Interpret a Classic’. About 150 students participated in this contest from colleges such as DYPDC, NID, DSK-ISD, IIT’S to mention a few.