SIAM organises 9th Styling & Design Conclave
Held in Pune at the Hotel Hyatt, SIAM’s (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) 9th edition of the Styling & Design Conclave focused on the theme of ‘Innovation through design’, covering various aspects of automobile styling and designing.
The day-long event also included a nationwide automotive design competition involving the more than a few Indian design institutes. The design students were provided a platform to display their skills at the Automotive Design Challenge (ADC), and to encourage students to consider automotive design as a career prospect. The winners of the ADC were Rajshekhar Dass of Mumbai, followed by Mathew Vinod and Mark Timothy, respectively. All three are students of ISD Rubika. More than a few of the models displayed were BMW-based pick-ups, crossovers and SUVs. Points to a design trend, does it not?
There were many speakers at the conclave, who discussed how automobile design shapes the future of the automobile industry. Anil Saini, Chairman, SIAM Styling & Design Group and Head of Design, General Motors delivered the welcome address, which talked about the year gone by. It was followed by the keynote address by Glynn Kerr, Owner, Glynn Kerr Design who focused more on the journey of design of two-wheelers all over the world, and in India specifically. He said that despite the huge progress made by the industry in the recent years, there still remains scope for improvement.
Other speakers included Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI); Jayant Sankrityayana Head — Commercial Vehicle Design, Tata Motors; Manoj Kothari, Chief Design Thinker & Innovation Strategist, Onio Design; Andreas Maashoff, Director Industrial Design, Johnson Controls; Sathiaseelan. G, Head, Styling, Ashok Leyland; Toru Kimura, Chief Liaison Officer, Kawasaki, Japan; Asok Abraham George, Design Director, Volvo Design and Innovation Center, Shanghai; Lalit Narkhede, Design Group Manager, General Motors; Mark Jarvis J Jhunjarough , Design Manager, Visteon; and K V Veerapandian, Head of Manufacturing Technical Support India & SAARC, Autodesk.
A new initiative started just this year saw Bidyabijay Bhaumik, Chief Designer at Mahindra & Mahindra recieve an award for playing a significant role in advancing the cause of automotive styling and design in India.
TOD has spent some time talking to Glynn Kerr, who has had extensive experience in the field of automotive design, having worked with BMW, Ducati, Honda, Triumph, Aprilia, Harley-Davidson, Kymcom, Kawasaki and Bajaj. Stay tuned for a complete interview.
