Maruti Suzuki has wrapped up its first-ever Design Challenge and the response indicates how much young design talent is waiting for the right platform. The competition was participated by more than 400 students from 70 design institutes from India and abroad. The goal was simple but ambitious – imagine compact cars and mobility solutions for the future.
The idea behind the challenge was fairly simple. Maruti Suzuki wanted to hear fresh voices and new ideas around compact cars as well as future mobility. Students have been asked to think freely, imagine new possibilities, and design solutions that would fit changing customer needs.
The response was encouraging. Over the course of several months, the teams progressed through four rounds of evaluation, where their ideas were tested for creativity, thinking, and feasibility in the real world.
At the end of the process, there were three teams that stood out.
- First place went to students from MIT Institute of Design, Pune
- Second place was secured by the Association of Designers of India at VIT, Vellore
- Third place went to Strate School of Design, Bengaluru
The winning teams received cash prizes and a six-month internship at Maruti Suzuki. During this time, students will be working directly with the company’s design professionals and contribute to future vehicle concepts. Seven other teams were also recognised and awarded gift vouchers, along with the possibility of internships after further evaluation.
Speaking about the initiative, Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited stated that design plays a key role in how the customers connect with cars today. He added that involving young designers brings in new ways of thinking that challenge conventional thinking and help shape better products for the future.
Beyond awards and recognition, the Design Challenge is Maruti Suzuki’s wider approach to innovation. The company has already been working with startups on mobility ideas and this initiative extends that thinking to students who are still learning but bring fresh creativity to the table.
Maruti Suzuki has also confirmed that this would not be a one-time effort. The Design Challenge will now be held on a yearly basis with the goal of creating a solid automotive design ecosystem in the country.
For the students, it provides rare exposure to industry. For Maruti Suzuki, it opens the door to ideas that could influence how our cars would be designed in the future. And for the mobility space as a whole, it indicates an increasing perspective towards collaboration, creativity and listening to the next generation.
In a quiet but significant way, the Design Challenge demonstrates how the future of car design may already be taking shape in classrooms and studios today.