Transportation & Automobile Design

Whenever I am travelling on road, I get frustrated seeing the traffic around me. It takes almost four to five folds the time to reach a place than what it would take under ideal conditions. What is more annoying is that the vehicles people travel in are made to perform optimally under ideal conditions whereas they never get a chance to perform. This adds to the cost of travelling and results in environmental loss.

Recently, this made me wonder if there are people in India who are trained to become experts in solving these problems. And I found out that there is a lot being done in this area in India.

With the transportation demand in India’s economy growing rapidly, customer needs, energy conservation, cultural

sensitivities, and environmental concerns are factors which are set to play a major role in automobile design. Many premier institutes in India have risen to the occasion and have introduced a number of courses in this area.

Students are trained to design automobiles ranging from water vessels to trucks. They plan bus stops, railway stations and even automobile related equipments. With many international automobile makers setting shop in India, the need for talented designers is growing many folds. The number of automobiles in India is growing at a fast rate. With that, the need for sufficient infrastructure in terms of roads, terminals and parking spaces is also growing. Now you can imagine how vast the subject is and how many are the available opportunities in this field.

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad provides two and a half years PG course in Transportation and Automobile Design. The eligibility criterion to join this course is 10+2+4. That is, one should possess either a B.E., B. Tech or a B. Arch degree. Intake is limited to just 10 students. Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) offers a 6 month PG diploma in Product and Tool Design. The eligibility criterion is a degree or diploma in mechanical, production or automobile engineering.