Explained: Why auto design from Indian carmakers lags global standards

The majority of the cars in India have not been very exciting, perhaps because they have been so value conscious, an expert said

Last month, when Pune-based automotive designer Dilip Chhabria was arrested for an interstate scam that he was running, the inside joke amongst professionals in the auto industry was that he should have actually gotten picked up years ago for his less-than-terrific designs. Chhabria’s vehicles, which were modified to look like snazzy customised versions of their avatars, usually had consumers complain for two reasons: one that they were too aggressive on the style factor and, second, that they impacted the engineering of the car and eventually caused vehicle performance to falter in due course of time. While his cars did get