[TusharK]

DC Design is reportedly in talks with carmakers for a capital infusion. Dilip Chhabria, automobile designer and the owner of DC Design has told the media that he is willing to sell a majority or minority stake depending on the valuation. The company is looking for a carmaker with a large distribution network as it would help make its own products more accessible to customers.



Brands like Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors have started offering customization options on some of their models. Maruti Suzuki offers around 120 customization options including body kits, alloy wheels, exterior graphics and roof wraps to name a few. Tata offers similar personalization options on the Nexon as part of their 'Imaginator' online platform.

Dilip Chhabria founded DC Design in 1993. The company builds customized cars, vanity vans, airplane interiors and custom utility vehicles. In 2015, DC Design launched the DC Avanti 2-seater sports car. It is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which produces 250 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. It is claimed to do 0-100 km/h in 6 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 200 km/h.

Source: Business Standard

Link to Team-BHP News

[ajmat]

Frankly

He has had a patchy record over the past 20+ years. The fit and finish of some of his work does not seem to endure in the long term. The Avanti is an appalling mishmash of parts and the finish is questionable based on the example I saw in Mumbai Airport. The fact that there were a few being resold by owners almost immediately without a premium says something.

I understand from some informal sources that he violated confidentiality agreements with Ford by publicising his work in building Aston Martin prototypes.

DC Design should stick to vanity vans and caravans.

[charanreddy]

I hope Maruti can buy out his company and hire him / his team. I am not familiar with his work except for the few threads on Team BHP and some extreme customization on some vehicles like Innova and Duster.. but boy can they use some additional 'sense' when it comes to interiors..case in point : The Brezza.

[SmartCat]

Long shot, but M&M might actually be interested in buying 100% of the company. Unlike other manufacturers, M&M has a history of buying Indian brands -

- Reva (electric car)
- Kinetic (two wheelers)
- Swaraj Tractors

And if M&M can make tiny acquisitions and get into manufacturing of yatches, boats, single engine aircraft etc, why not development of sportscars? Any takers for Pininfarina Avanti here?

[v12]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Frankly

He has had a patchy record over the past 20+ years. The fit and finish of some of his work does not seem to endure in the long term. The Avanti is an appalling mishmash of parts and the finish is questionable based on the example I saw in Mumbai Airport. The fact that there were a few being resold by owners almost immediately without a premium saws something.

I understand from some informal sources that he violated confidentiality agreements with Ford by publicising his work in building Aston Martin prototypes.

DC Design should stick to vanity vans and caravans.

True Ajmat - the quality of DC Designs is only good as long as it lasts - and that's not even 2 years. All of his parts - especially the body parts show their age within a few months itself. Top it all the bodywork / bodykit is very heavy. Some of his designs were actually very good - those in his initial years. The ones I can think of - Tata Sierra Karma, Tata Sierra Arya and a redesigned Tata Safari or a Trax I don't remember. His bodykit on the Tata Estate and the Opel Astra (Touring it was called) were amazing.

DC Designs did partner with Mahindra while designing their Armada and the Armada Grand - so there are good chances that M&M may acquire DC. But that's gonna be a disaster since considering the whacky designers already at M&M Customisation. All hell with break loose and we will see some whacky Thar's and Scorpios coming out of the M&M stables.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Dilip Chhabria, automobile designer and the owner of DC Design has told the media that he is willing to sell a majority or minority stake depending on the valuation.

In other words, he's open to an 'exit'.

The company is looking for a carmaker with a large distribution network as it would help make its own products more accessible to customers.

There is no way any big-name car manufacturer would be interested in buying DC. That said, an entrepreneur with deep pockets would because DC does have a name in customisation (especially luxury vans and the like). A large well-funded dealership group (e.g. Landmark Group) could also buy out DC and make money off customisations on new cars in the showroom. I definitely see a sizable market for a well-modified Jeep Compass selling for 2 lakhs over MRP.

I've always hated his designs and found them either too outlandish, weird or both. That said, in the recent past, I have seen a handful that I liked. These could have potential to make profits if marketed well. Examples:

Originally Posted by charanreddy

I hope Maruti can buy out his company and hire him / his team.

At least then we'll see limited editions with more than just stickers .

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Frankly

He has had a patchy record over the past 20+ years.

The patchy record extends to his companies finances too.
Despite being in one of the most profitable business and having loyal clients his companies used to burn through cash piles. And was known to borrow huge chunks of cash every now and then.

His interior design business, on the other hand, was even more asset-light (higher profits). But even that could not be sustained. I had an unfortunate pleasure of viewing his work here in Mumbai.

Totally respect him as a designer. All creations were not to my tastes but at least he takes bold risks. Running a company is not one of his strong suits (like Fisker). With even more competition kicking, the journey ahead for his company is not going to be a cakewalk.

[skinhead]

Wonder what's going to happen to DC after the supreme court ruling in Jan. His design days are definitely numbered as far as external design is concerned - and that's very important - all he's left with is interiors. Poor chap, though some of his designs were radical, there's no denying that they drew eyeballs like none other. Not counting imported exotics. Anyway I hope he finds some wriggle room to do what he does best... COOL DESIGNS.

[fz_rider]

Marazzo can be modified at Rs 5.25 lakh over the base car and the cabin can be installed on any variant. Mahindra has formally partnered with DC Designs for this mod-job and one can order the Marazzo with the interior package at any of the Mahindra’s dealerships across India. DC will take at least six weeks to modify the car and the manufacturer warranty remains intact since it is modified in partnership.

The second-row seats have been replaced with a set of sofa-like recliner seats that are electrically adjustable. The seat behind the front passenger seat gets a retractable footrest and a backrest that can recline 160 degrees. There’s a new centre console between the two seats that houses a touch-panel to controls the seats, lighting and infotainment functions. Two Android TV-equipped 10.1-inch screens are mounted behind the front seats. There’s also a foldable table and a 7.0-litre refrigerator.

Source: gaadiwaadi.com

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by GTO

There is no way any big-name car manufacturer would be interested in buying DC. That said, an entrepreneur with deep pockets would because DC does have a name in customisation (especially luxury vans and the like). A large well-funded dealership group (e.g. Landmark Group) could also buy out DC and make money off customisations on new cars in the showroom. I definitely see a sizable market for a well-modified Jeep Compass selling for 2 lakhs over MRP.

It's going to be hard getting investors in and it would actually be a better prospect for a car company to completely acquire it and exit the promoters but keep Dilip on himself as creative director of sort. This could work as a lifestyle division for a brand. And i actually see it as a good fit for someone like Mahindra or Tata to offer DC editions like they have with the Marazzo.This will enable accountability at all ends, currently if the interiors start rattling or giving issues the Mahindra dealership will play blame game on DC.

The biggest problem with DC is the promoter family, especially the second generation who aren't known to be the most ethical and professional with their dealings as per hearsay.

[porsche_guy]

Here, I'd like to draw attention to the Supreme Court ruling banning most of the modifications so technically, it will be illegal for any manufacturer to modify cars from the showroom/factory under the DC nameplate without homologation

Nor do I see any reason for carmakers to acquire them. They have good enough designers in their own organisations themselves.

Cheers!

[GTO]

Thanks to BHPian BANDHAV for the heads-up! Just wanted to update this thread with the latest happenings. DC Design has run out of cash.

Pune Mirror

Pune-based The Cosmos Cooperative Bank will auction the property of well-known car design firm Dilip Chhabria Design for defaulting on a loan of Rs 37.20 crore. In an advertisement put out in a Marathi newspaper, the bank said it would e-auction a 4,111 square metre property belonging to Kanchan Chhabria at Bhugaon near Pune, which was mortgaged with the bank, on June 27. The reserve price has been set at Rs 3.85 crore. Kanchan is a director of the firm. Text messages and phone calls to another director, Bonito Chhabria, remained unanswered at the time of going to press.

Two related orders from NCLT are here and here.

[AMG Power]

I don't know if it's his customer's tastes that took him down the road of loud designs or whether it was his inherent taste.

Maybe if he was understated folks would have thought they weren't getting their money's worth. And that probably prompted the loud trend.

On top of that, he cut corners by coming out with ridiculous quality levels.

Some never learn that making a quick buck can only take you so far.

[drmohitg]

I doubt if a big company would want to offer these customization options and end up with repeated complaints of premature car failures and rattles. Moreover what would you gain by selling a handful of these cars as they will never be a mass market offering. Most of his designs are outward ugly and look like copy paste job from comic books. Plus the biggest question is if there is even a market in India for this. I would rather buy a Carnival than buying an Innova and putting it through this ordeal while trading for reliability.