INDIA SOARS AS THE AVANTI ROARS

Over the last two decades, the Indian consumer has seen many carmakers ranging from

Mercedes to Porsche, enter the Indian market. The rise in consumption of vehicles

produced by international automobile conglomerates has been evident since then. However, with the costs of purchase for these cars slumping lower and lower in the past five years, it is

becoming increasingly challenging for domestic carmakers to sail through.

The Avanti, designed by stalwart Indian car designer, Dilip Chhabaria of DC Design is a

pleasant surprise to the automotive industry. When asked about Avanti, India's first homegrown mid-engine sportscar, in an interview, Dilip Chhabaria, popularly known as DC said, that the

project bloomed from a desire to expand and grow. "We regularly get queries from people turn

their Skoda and Mercedes products into supercars. So we guessed that the same people would

also be interested in buying a complete car made by us.”

What’s so alluring about the Avanti that can steal the show on Indian soil? DC has certainly

left no stones unturned when it comes to the cabin – plenty of width and legroom, the perfectly

sized custom three-spoke steering wheel and a touchscreen infotainment system with the

resolution of an iPad are some outstanding features of the made-in-India sportscar, amongst

many others. However, some experts cite the cabin height as a problem for tall drivers. Mahesh

Bansode, an employee at an Audi outlet in Navi Mumbai says, “the cabin is surprisingly roomy

but the headroom is tight for drivers over six-feet because of a low roof.” Bansode works with

the personalization division of Audi and helps consumers with different ideas to customize

interiors according to suitable needs.

The Avanti, on the other hand, is a mixed bag of goodies when it comes to its under-the-hood

properties. If you were looking forward to a V12, then you’re in for some disappointment for the Avanti is restricted to a four-cylinder turbo engine. However, the car is poised at a power of 1998cc with a baffling 248 break horse power. Considering, the engine’s deft integration with the

gearbox. The Avanti, according to DC Design’s standards, touches the 0-100 kph mark in

around 11.48 seconds at 6200 revolutions per minute. Other features which give this car an

effective edge according to Indian standards and roads are the use of strong carbonfibre to design the body, a 20-inch wheel rim to combat our not-so-cool Indian roads and a 6.8 inch-ground

clearance which will effectively prevent the car’s 1080-inch wide wheelbase to succumb to

speed breakers and potholes. And, guess what? All this comes in a price range of Rs.35 Lakh! – A number which will surely set many Indian racing heads thinking. Kiwishka Prasad, a senior

executive at Ketchum Sampark Public Relations, who has handled various auto clients like

Volvo and Bajaj in the past and is working for Skoda currently, says that the Avanti, if marketed

properly can do extremely good. “The designers have chosen a beautiful price range and what

matters now is, how well do they use the ‘patriotic’ angle to this,” she says.