SIAM Hosts 18th Styling & Design Conclave Alongside 16th Automotive Design Challenge

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex automobile industry body, recently organised the 18th SIAM Styling and Design Conclave alongside the 16th Automotive Design Challenge (ADC). The theme of the conclave was “Designing for Aspiring India”, focusing on the future of vehicle styling and design in India. The event brought together several experienced automobile designers from India and abroad to share their ideas and inputs, for shaping the future of aesthetic design of vehicles.

The Automotive Design Challenge (ADC) 2023, an annual design competition organised by SIAM, was held during the conclave. Following a rigorous selection process, the top ten students were chosen to present their innovative concepts during the conclave.

Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, highlighted the role of indigenous designs stating that, “For Rising India, the time is ripe for styling Indian Automobiles and Mobility with indigenous designs.”

In the welcome address, G Sathiyaseelan, Chairman, SIAM Styling & Design Group, said, “The needs of Indian users are changing and so are design requirements. The mega-trends and technological path need to be reinvented. There is a need to democratise the mind-set of Indian Designers. You become a designer you become a problem solver for the end-user."

In the keynote address, Luciano D' Ambrosio, Founder, LDA Design, Italy, said, “Besides EV, I believe there are many other opportunities for alternative fuels for thinking something different. The approach to making new cars has always been divided into the same design and different fuels. I like to differentiate between style and design. Style is fashionable; Design should be a new innovation.”

The conclave concluded with the announcement of the top-three winners of the ADC 2023, showcasing the best emerging talent in automotive styling & design.Likhith Sarvareddy from Strate School of Design was declared the first prize winner followed by Vinayak Tiwari from Ajeenkya DY Patil University and Bhujang Sakore from National Institute of Design who emerged as the first and second runner-up.