Learn Automobile Design from the Masters

The Automobile industry in India is growing by leaps and bounds. The number of international automobile companies, like Hyundai Motors, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Suzuki and Kia, which are opening their manufacturing, design and research centres in India, is a testimony to that. Today the Indian automobile industry is the seventh largest in the world with an annual production of over 2.6 million and is also Asia's fourth largest exporter of automobiles, just behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand. By 2050, the country is expected to top the world in car volumes with approximately 611 million vehicles on the nation's roads.

Subsequently, the jobs in the automobile industry are also rising, with a particular demand for talented automobile designers (which has always been more than the actual supply). DYPDC College aims to fulfil this growing demand. From August 2010, the college will be teaching a three-year, full-time undergraduate program, and a two-year, full time postgraduate program - both in Automotive Design. Enrollments for the academic year 2010-11 are underway.

DYPDC College, which is based in Pune, has been established as a joint initiative between DY Patil group, a highly regarded educational organization, and car design guru Dilip Chhabria - who has come onboard to serve as chief mentor.

DY Patil Group has three deemed universities to its credit and presently runs nearly 160 educational institutions, while Chhabria, with more than 650 designs to his credit, is a role model to those aspiring to build a career in the automotive industry. "DYPDC College is my personal passion, and I am going to drive this college to make sure it produces some of the best automobile designers," Chhabria states.

With regard to the program at DYPDC, Chhabria explains he will be involved on three levels. "Firstly, I'll act as chief mentor for the students and will review and critique their work and provide them with feedback to help them improve. Secondly, I'll be in close contact with the faculty and constantly be reinventing the curriculum and updating and co-ordinating the teaching methods to keep it fresh and dynamic. Thirdly, I believe design is a matter of heart, and hence the institute will aim to develop skills that embody this philosophy, coupled with business and manufacturing dynamics."

The most unique feature of the program is that final year students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level will have the opportunity to build a full scale, working, drivable car as part of their final year projects.