XLRI the oldest B-school in India (esb 1949) has announced the setting up of the ‘Indian School for Design of Automobiles’ (INDEA) – a first-of-its-kind dedicated finishing school for automobile design in India in association with XLRI alumnus and automobile industry expert Avik Chattopadhyay.
INDEA will be offering various programmes, from a Master’s in Automobile Design & Management to refreshers for practising designers and inductions for CXOs. Seminars, master-classes and workshops will also be planned as part of the annual calendar. A programme in Automobile Restoration is also proposed.
The Masters in Automobile Design & Management will be a 1-year post-graduate programme with intake of 20-25 students every year from all graduate schools through a screening process. Details of the curriculum are being finalised. The school will be operational by the end of 2025.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Fr K.S. Casimir, Director, XLRI Delhi-NCR Campus said, “We felt the acute need to support India’s ambitions to be a design hub and resonate with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s emphasis on the need for a paradigm shift and the vision of aiming for the day when people across the world want to buy a car ‘designed’ in India. Our effort with ‘Indian School for Design of Automobiles’ is to bridge the gap for skilled designers who also understand the nuances of management and customer preferences creating well-rounded professionals for the Indian Automotive industry.”
. INDEA will also be guided by a mentor board which has professionals such as Gautam Sen – celebrated automotive journalist and author, XLRI alumnus of 1984, Justice Indira Banerjee – ex-judge of the Supreme Court of India, expert on corporate and constitutional law, and I.V. Rao – distinguished fellow at TERI and ex-Director Engineering at Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
“The Indian automobile industry is one of the strongest pillars of the Indian economy. It is poised for its next phase of growth post pandemic with factors like clean energy, evolving consumer behaviour and greater focus on circular-sustainability. All this will need a fresh look at design as a fundamental ingredient in business strategy. That throws up the critical need for a new-age design school that can nurture and develop world-class automobile designers and design managers. My experience in the automotive industry and interactions with my peers over the last few years have led me to come up with the thought for INDEA as I owe this to the industry that has nurtured me. I am delighted that my alma mater has the same vision. As a team, XLRI and I look forward to building INDEA to serve the needs of the market and the nation,” said Avik Chattopadhyay, who has previously served companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen India, PSA Peugeot Citroen, ExxonMobil and Apollo Tyres.
