14th SIAM Styling & Design Conclave 2020 and 12th Automotive Design Challenge 2019
Among the huge range of elaborated events on the second day of Auto Expo 2020, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) hosted the 14th SIAM Styling and Design Conclave and 12th Automotive Design Challenge
(ADC). Aptly themed as ‘Explore a New World of Mobility: Re-imagining emotional connect with the customers’, the conclave was graced by a number of renowned automotive designers, both old and new, who showcased great zeal and enthusiasm in decoding the future trends of automobile styling in India. In an attempt to encourage the future generations into automobile styling and designing, SIAM organizes Automotive Design Challenge (ADC), alongside the main event.
Speaking in the inaugural session, Mr Anil Saini, Former Chairman, SIAM Styling and Design Group, said,“The automotive design paradigm is continuously changing and user interaction with automobiles has seen a great evolution.In this new era of creating products where technology is a mute enabler and experience is on the force, we all have to come together, co-think and develop methods to find “what is it” and how to do the new “connect” with consumers. This conclave is one effort in that direction. We have to challenge ourselves, think beyond Design Thinking and invent new tools. Academia can further grow to be a huge energizer in future, unsettle the wise and settled ones, and harness the reckless energy of unsettled young ones! I use this platform to urge academia to design short diverse experimental immersions to infuse the new energy in professionals and vice versa.”
Elaborating in the session on Sculpting Emotions for Tomorrow,Mr Sudhanshu Pal, ICONA Design Group said, “The way we use cars is going to change as we move towards shared and connected future of mobility. Modern Automotive Design solutions should reflect this shift.
While in the same session, underlining his commitment towards promoting sustainability, Founder of CARTIST, Himanshu Jangid, said, “In terms of recycling and upcycling of old and used products, a majority of our country’s population is still clueless. As for the automotive industry, it is high time that the industry realize the need of sustainability, and thereby, promotes upcycling of old vehicles. Upcycling, as a, matter of fact, is not just a way to clean the environment, it can also be considered as a source of employment. A large number of creative youngsters are already into the business of breathing new life into old and obsolete motor parts by transforming them into innovative art pieces.
Discussing on passion fuelled by technology, Mr Narayan Subramanium, Ultraviolette Automotive said,“For a generation that grew up fascinated by supercars, we have to understand that there’s no room for automobiles that does not serve the purpose.User experience perspective is critical. As we take steady strides towards e-mobility, the design of vehicles has to evolve, for the consumers to feel proud of owning it. A design that cater to specific requirements, and suits the unique tastes, will attract more consumers.
“Emotional connect with consumers is the cornerstone of an effective automotive design”, said Ms Chiharu Matsuhara,Senior Manager, BASF Japan Ltd.
“With the current advent of the cognitive era, the 5G technology will heavily influence the design trends of the coming years” said Mr Sarwant Singh,Managing Partner, Frost& Sullivan. Adding to the industry insights, he further said, “This hyper-connectivity will also transform the car insurance industry in future.”
With the presence of renowned automotive designers from India and around the world like Mr Yariv Sade, Director of Applications Engineering at Stratasys, Ms Chiharu Matsuhara, Senior Manager, BASF Japan Ltd., Chief Designer Asia Pacific, Mr Narayan Subramanium, Ultraviolette Automotive, Mr Sudhanshu Pal, ICONA Design Group, the conclave hosted multiple sessions, where experts spoke on sculpting emotions for tomorrow, passion fuelled by technology, and new mobility trends, with complimentary interactive sessions in-between.
Competitions like Automotive Design Challenge are very important, as they help to discover budding talents in the field of design, says Mr Pradyumna Vyas, Ex Director, NID India, whileapplauding the efforts of SIAM for ADC 2020.
Automotive Design Challenge 2020 witnessed participation of students from major design institutes across the country. The competition is an outstanding initiative by SIAM that provides a befitting platform for the aspiring automobile designers to showcase their talent, and scoring opportunities for future. The top three designs of the competition got selected by the jury and got awarded towards the end of the event. Onkar Kumar from ADYPU won the ADC 2020, followed by Sujith S Kumar from NID as a first runner-up, and Aritra Deb again from ADYPU as a second runner-up. The audience consisted of young designers, styling & design engineers, suppliers, students, design practitioners, technical persons and management executives from the automotive fraternity.