New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Limited has concluded the second edition of its annual automotive design competition, DesignXathon, with Team IED Torino emerging as the winner and two teams from the National Institute of Design (NID), Gandhinagar, securing the first and second runner-up positions. The competition attracted more than 450 students from over 70 design institutes across India and overseas, challenging young designers to imagine the vehicles that future generations might aspire to own in 2036.
The competition focused on the theme, ‘Envision an iconic vehicle Gen Z and Gen Alpha aspire to own in 2036’, encouraging participants to explore how changing lifestyles, technology and sustainability could influence automotive design over the next decade.
The three winning teams received cash prizes and six-month internships at Maruti Suzuki’s India Design Studio, providing an opportunity to gain practical experience in professional vehicle design. Participants from teams ranked fourth to tenth will also be considered for internship opportunities, subject to further evaluation.
From Design Concepts to Scale Prototypes
Following multiple rounds of evaluation and mentorship by Maruti Suzuki’s Design Studio team, the ten highest-ranked teams advanced to the Grand Finale at the company’s India Design Studio in Gurugram.
The finalists presented their proposed vehicles through 1:8-scale prototypes, translating their ideas into physical models for evaluation.
The challenge required participants to look beyond contemporary automotive trends and consider the expectations of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers in 2036. With vehicle technology and consumer preferences evolving rapidly, predicting what tomorrow’s buyers will want is no straightforward design exercise.
The competition also gave students an opportunity to interact with automotive design professionals and gain exposure to the processes involved in developing vehicle concepts.
Maruti Suzuki Highlights India’s Automotive Design Potential
Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, emphasised the importance of young designers in shaping the future of the automobile industry.
“Customer aspirations, lifestyles and automotive technology are evolving. I believe young minds, with their fresh perspectives and unconventional thinking, will play an important role in shaping the future of mobility. As the world’s third-largest passenger vehicle market, India has immense young talent and creative potential to shape the future of mobility. At Maruti Suzuki, we are committed to connecting this talent with the industry. Through DesignXathon, we aim to foster open innovation and collaboration, nurture emerging designers, and lay the foundation for a strong design ecosystem in India. I congratulate the winning teams for their innovative concepts, bringing together technology and sustainability and commend all participants for their creativity and enthusiasm.”
His remarks reflect the company’s emphasis on developing automotive design capabilities in India while creating closer connections between educational institutions and the automobile industry.
Bridging the Gap Between Classrooms and Automotive Studios
DesignXathon is an annual student-focused automotive design competition established to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia.
The initiative seeks to introduce aspiring designers to professional automotive design practices, mentorship and real-world industry expectations.
For students, such competitions provide exposure to the challenges of transforming an imaginative concept into a design proposal that can be assessed by industry professionals.
For manufacturers, they offer an opportunity to engage with emerging talent and explore fresh approaches to vehicle design.
The participation of more than 70 institutions from India and overseas in the second edition also demonstrates the competition’s reach beyond the domestic academic landscape.
Looking Towards Mobility in 2036
As the Indian automotive industry navigates technological change, evolving consumer expectations and growing emphasis on sustainability, vehicle design is likely to play an increasingly significant role in how manufacturers differentiate their products.
Maruti Suzuki’s DesignXathon forms part of the company’s broader efforts to strengthen India’s automotive design ecosystem and encourage collaboration with the next generation of designers.
Although the prototypes unveiled during the competition remain student concepts rather than announced production vehicles, the exercise offers a glimpse into how emerging designers imagine the future of personal mobility.
The cars of 2036 may look very different from those on today’s roads. Through initiatives such as DesignXathon, Maruti Suzuki is giving young designers an opportunity to influence that conversation long before those vehicles reach showrooms.
