Pune student tops in car design challenge

The futuristic design of a single-seat car by a city youth won him the first prize at the national-level automotive design challenge, organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

The results were declared at the Styling & Design Conclave held by Siam as part of the Pune Design Festival.

The car, christened ‘Bloom,’ was created by transportation design student, Mudit Gupta (18). It looks like a lotus bud when viewed from the side and incorporates the latest automobile technology. A third semester student of DSK International School of Design, Gupta says his vehicle is ideal for the urban youth.

The theme of this year’s design contest was ‘Personal mobility for urban India-2016’, based on the challenges that would be faced in 2016 relating to environment, fuel, speed and style statement.

“My interpretation of the theme was to deliver a single-seat car for the young urban Indian, who would like to break away from the cliches attached to design and move to a very attractive car. If the car is viewed from the side, it reminds the observer of a beautiful lotus ready to bloom, hence the name,” said Gupta. The driver enters the vehicle from the front.

“The windscreen slides up and doubles up as the door. The driver can sit comfortably as he would on a cozy chair at home. The car is powered by the rear wheel, incorporating in-wheel motor technology which gives maximum space to the user inside the cabin as there is just the battery under the seat, no engine,” said Gupta.

The vehicle turns by locking either of the front wheels and allowing rotation to the other, which makes the turning radius of the vehicle extremely small, perfectly suiting the congested roads of urban India.

“The brief of the competition was to design a futuristic personal mobility vehicle for the Indian youth, preserving the Indian aesthetic value. I have a strong passion for absolutely anything unconventional and like to get into concept car designing. I know it may sound weird, but I want to design cars that can never be produced. Many of elements of the design can be used in future cars,” said Gupta about his future plans.

His project won him accolades from national and international designers who attended the conclave. The contest, in which design students from across the country participated, was judged by professionals from Tata Motors, Volkswagen, General Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Pininfarina and Renault, among others.