India Car 1995

In Spring 1995 for my final semester at Art Center (Europe), I decided to propose a car specifically for the Indian market.The project went on to be sponsored by Mercedes Benz AG's India Concept Car Project. The model was based on the Mercedes Benz A Class Package, similar to the Mercedes Benz FCC.The Economic, Climatic & Social differences between the European & Indian markets were the driving forcees behind the project.


Economic Considerations
Indian Traffic Conditions: 
The car incorporated several low cost solutions:
common hinges for the bonnet, trunk & (optional) doors, Tubular seat frames with hammock stylesupport, the absense of a dashboard that could be customised after the initial puchase.
Climatic Considerations
Upright windscreens, Fabric roof and the absense of doors would keep the car cool in the hot Indian Climate

Cultural Considerations
The key assumption for this project was that a culture with it's own taste for clothes, food & colours would have their own taste for cars.
I also drew extensive inspiration from Indian Art & Architecture

India Car Revisited 1996-2001

Having worked in the Car Industry for a few years, I decided to revisit the India Car Project because he realised that it was a bit naive to develop a car specifically for the Indian market. I proposed a car that is cheap yet appealing to people all over the world, so that it could be marketed throughout the developing world and sold as a niche, lifestyle vehicle in the developed markets.

An exposed spaceframe construction forms the base car that can be up-speced for different markets. Corrugated panels is a low cost solution to the problem of structural rigidity. The bonnet is a blow moulded plastic cover that has cut outs that provides access to the release mechanism & is a place to grip the engine cover.

VW Concept-1 1992 - A Sponsored Project at Art Center (Europe)