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DC Design unveils two new cars at Auto Expo 2014
NEW DELHI: India’s premier automotive design and specialist car manufacturer DC Design is ready with two exciting new concepts to delight automobile enthusiasts at the 2014 Auto Expo. Keeping in line with the firm’s philosophy and also its previous track record for delivering drop dead gorgeously styled vehicles, the two new concept cars are production bound in 2016.
The DC Eleron and the DC Tia represent DC Design’s ability to conceive an idea for various niche segments and then design and develop a vehicle with unique attributes that go beyond mere style. While the Eleron is an open Targa-topped SUV with radical lines, the Tia is a nifty two-seater runabout for town use with outrageously crafted lines yet packing in a proven small driveline.
Both the cars were unveiled today by the award winning actress and style icon Kareena Kapoor Khan and Mr. Dilip Chhabria, Founder, DC Design. Speaking at the launch, Mr. Chhabria said, “I want the most desirable car in the world to bear a ‘Made in India’ tag. For Avanti which we launched two years ago we are looking at manufacturing 2000 units per annum starting third quarter of this year. For Eleron and Tia we are looking at 500 units and 1000 units per annum respectively by 2016. We have currently invested in the excess of INR 85 crores for the production of Avanti and INR 50 crores each for the production of Eleron and Tia so far and are looking at further investments in the coming future. We aren’t a global player; we will not build millions of cars a year, but I promise you, the few thousand that we will put out every year will be the sexiest cars on Indian roads.”
Making heads turn at the launch Kareena Kapoor Khan also added, “It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of such a remarkable launch. DC Design is clearly the most prominent and promising name in the Indian automotive design industry. Both Eleron and Tia are spectacular looking cars and are sure to create a buzz amongst Indian auto enthusiasts. I wish the team the very best for these car launches.”
The Eleron is DC Design’s high-end take for a top line SUV with a difference! The name has been phonetically conceived from the aeronautic term ‘aileron’ given that the nature of the car’s design takes in a supposedly duo-layered approach as regards its bodywork, the upper half seemingly floating on the lower base whichever way you tend to look at it.
From the deliciously overwhelming Eleron SUV, DC Design moves fast-forward to the mega-mini segment with its all-new two-seater runabout the DC Tia! It isn’t difficult to understand why such a car given its small footprint but with radical turnout given that the Indian car market’s fortune lies at the base of the pyramid and this is where an added premium positioning is ripe for the times. DC Tia again treads the space frame chassis route with carbon composite bodywork – a sure shot recipe for strength and structural integrity while keeping weight down to a bare minimum.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
