All about Avanti, India's first Rs 30-lakh supercar!

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday unveiled India's first supercar, Avanti, designed by style guru Dilip Chhabria's DC Design at the 11th Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi.

The Avanti is has set up its own production unit in Pune from where it plans to bespoke manufacture around 300 super cars for the Indian market.

The supercar is likely to will meet Lamborghini Murcielago and Lamborghini Aventador head on in India.

According to Chhabria, the car can be tagged at a price of Rs 30 lakh (Rs 3 million) on road. He decided to call the car 'Buddh', after India's Formula One Circuit, but the response for the name was not encouraging, so it was finally named Avanti.

The Avanti supercar doesn't reinvent the wheel in the basic process of manufacturing a high tech sports car because in time honoured specialist car production DC Design will be using proprietary parts from various car makers, especially in the areas of drivetrain and suspension.

The Avanti would be powered by a specially tuned Ford EcoBoost 2.0-litre four-cylinder, dohc, 16-valve engine. This unit not only features turbocharging with direct injection but also features VVT (variable valve timing) and this helps it to dish out power and torque which normally are on par with a larger 3.0-litre engine.

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Max power will be 240bhp at 5500rpm with a massive 366 Nm of torque developed at 3500rpm helping give it both tractability and thrust. If that is not all, the latest electronics will also help deliver strong on the fuel efficiency front as well.

Also the engine and its ancillaries are all Euro 4 & 5 compliant already meaning it would be right even for the export markets but the good thing is that it could also be taken further to the incoming Euro 6 legislation with a slight change in the engine mapping characteristics.

Handling all that power and torque from the mid-mounted four-cylinder engine is a six-speed manual gearbox.

Again sourced from the Ford Europe parts bin, this transmission is robust and reliable and does all it is tasked with.

There will also be another transmission option for those who seek an even higher technological plane with a six-speed dual clutch Power Shift unit.

The Avanti will have a light weight but very strong space frame chassis using a mix of square, rectangular and round sections to get the best strength and rigidity across the dynamic spectrum.

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Suspension is in time honoured sports car fashion with unequal length wishbones all around working in conjunction with coil over shock absorbers.

Agile, quick and ultra-responsive, the Avanti promises performance and visual erotica at a cost to quality proposition that will be second to none. Hydraulically assisted rack and pinion steering gear will be standard fitment.

Specialists in safety engineering which include the likes of Bosch would be lending their might in developing the latest generation ABS brake systems and SRS air bag technology for the Avanti; ride and handling would be perfected by global experts in this realm and overall body and trim plus final assembly would be done at DC Design's all new production facility coming up at Talegaon near Pune.

The Avanti will be electronically limited to 250km/h and will ride on 19-inch tyres all round. Footwear on the front wheels would be of size 255/35-19 while 295/30-19-sized rubber would do duty at the rear.

Helping safety and control given the max velocity and acceleration the Avanti would pack in, large 330mm diameter ventilated disc brakes with grippy AP Racing callipers come as OE fitment.

The Avanti's low slung silhouette is pure excitement and is unlike any seen from an Asian automotive entity.

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Sporting a combination of pleasingly complex concave and convex surfaces to deliver great form, the Avanti is fast standing still with its rippling muscles akin to a wild animal waiting to spring onto its prey.

Animalistic yet aesthetic in its essence but replete with fine craftsmanship across the entire vehicle, the Avanti can more than hold its own in its class.

DC has already put in place a unique and dedicated self-owned and managed sales and service network in five major metros in the country (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad) and this would only be honed to a fine pitch by the time the Avanti production commences.

An additional four outlets would also be opened in the course of 2012.

Bookings, on a first-come-first-served-basis will open soon, immediately after Auto Expo 2012 with deliveries scheduled from the last quarter of calendar 2013.

The big story doesn't end here, the feel good theme continuing on the price front as well.

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At Rs 30 lakh (Rs 3 million) ex-showroom, the Avanti would be a stunner in more ways than one and a smile inducer cum big name basher made in India.

Specifications of the car:

Engine

• Type: 2.0L Four Cylinder
• Maximum power: 240 BHP @ 5500 RPM
• Maximum Torque: 270lb/ft of torque @3500 RPM
• Transmission: MMT6 6speed

Turbocharged engine with direct injection and VVT DOHC Four valves per cylinder

Chassis

• Tubular space frame
• Jig built
• TIG welded

Suspension

• Unequal length double wishbones
• Coil cover shock absorbers

Steering and Brakes

• Rack and pinion
• 330 mm ventilated discs (Front and Rear) AP racing callipers

Front wheels

• Rim size: 8.5J-19
• Tyres: 255/35 19" x 8.5 J
• Track: 1680 mm

Rear wheels

• Rim size: 11J-19
• Tyres: 295/30 19" x 11 J
• Track: 1660 mm

Dimensions

• Wheelbase: 2700 mm
• Length: 4623 mm
• Width: 1967 mm
• Height: 1213 mm
• Front Overhang: 993 mm
• Rear Overhang: 930 mm
• Ground clearance: 155 mm
• Dry kerb weight: 1562 kgs

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Dilip Chhabria is not a new name for car lovers. He has been serving the industry for quite a long time. Dilip is qualified in Transportation Design from USA and has worked with General Motors in America in their design centre.

He also began his own auto accessory business in India. According to Chhabria, his company DC Design is making a transition from a design house to a production house with this car.

"This project has been committed an investment of Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) by way of internal accrual, debt and equity infusion," said Chhabria.

"This investment will cover production, testing, and services upgradation."

Speaking about the car, he said that it will offer the looks, feel, dimensions, quality and fit and finish comparable to supercars from Lamborghini and Ferrari, but minus the horsepower.