DC design, known for its distinct and offbeat designs for cars and buses, has plans to unveil two cars at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo in February. While the first car will be a four-seater convertible SUV, the other one is a compact two-seater, smaller than Tata Nano. Targeting young customers, both cars are expected to be in the range of Rs 18-40 lakh, though it will take couple of years for them to get into production.
Speaking to Financial Express, Dilip Chhabria, head of DC Designs said, “The first is a four-seater convertible SUV, which is not rationally dimensioned, and an extremely small car, smaller than the Nano. Both the products will be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo in Delhi in February when the first batch of 25 cars of the DC Avanti will also be flagged off.”
At the 2012 Auto Expo, DC had showcased its Avanti sports car which is set to be its first production car. Powered by the Ford 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine generating 240bhp, the 1,562 kg car will hit 0-100 kmph in under seven seconds. The first batch of 25 units has been completed and is priced at Rs 25 lakh, though henceforth the cars will be sold for around Rs 30 lakh. June 2014 onwards, DC will begin full-fledged production of the Avanti at its Talegaon facility in Pune which has a capacity of making 100 cars every month.
Founded in 1993, the Mumbai-based design house is famous for redesigning regular cars and buses to make them more luxurious and limo-like. DC has been planning to get into production of cars, rather than just sticking to customisation. Investing Rs 60 crore to set up a new plant in Sanand, Gujarat is a step in this direction. “Our USP is clear. We are going to be in the niche segment of cars, which other manufacturers do not explore. We are in the process of becoming the youngest car manufacturer in the country and are transitioning from a customiser of cars to a low volume niche manufacturer,” Dilip Chhabria said.
Read about the DC customised Ford EcoSport
