Dilip Chhabria plans to open design institute in A'bad

After India's first indigenous super car DC Avanti, Chhabria now plans luxury SUV

Automotive designer Dilip Chhabria's DC Design is planning to set up a manufacturing facility in Gujarat in around a year's time to make customised cars as well its super car DC Avanti. The investment on the plant that would have a capacity of 3,500 units per annum  could be to the tune of Rs 50-60 crore. Meanwhile, the designer has also started work on a luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV).

DC Design is all set to start delivering the DC Avantis, the first indigenous super car, from December this year. It has an installed capacity of around 2,500 vehicles per annum to make the Avanti at Pune.

"Going by the demand, we believe the Avanti would need additional capacity, and the second phase (of around 2,500 cars per annum) can come up in Gujarat in association with our partners. We are also planning to have a provision to make luxury customised cars here with a capacity of around 1,000 cars per annum," Chhabria said. He was in town to launch his new dealership in the city in association with city-based entrepreneurs Shaunak Shah and Neeraj Shah who will be joint venture partners with DC Design to set up the Gujarat plant. DC Design plans to sell around 40 cars per month here in Gujarat.

The upcoming Gujarat plant could also make the upcoming SUV from DC stable eventually, the designer added. It would employ close to 300 people.

"The luxury SUV is on the drawing board. It would be a two-door stylish SUV in the lines of the Range Rover Evoque and would be priced around Rs 25-30 lakh. The car would be showcased at the upcoming Auto Expo," Chhabria said adding that his firm is targeting to become a niche car manufacturer.

Chhabria plans to make limited edition cars. "We plan to make DC Avantis for the next four years, at 2,500 cars per annum. We would break even around halfway of the 10,000 car mark.Then, we focus on working on our next offering," he explains.

Meanwhile, he also plans to start a design institute here in Ahmedabad within the next six months that would offer short term courses on automotive designing etc. The institute would start with online courses and once the infrastructure is in place, full-time courses would start.