Most aspiring automobile or mechanical engineers have recurring visions which turn to insomnia as graduation day draws closer. All they want to be is the industry genius hot shot who would design the future Porsches, Lambos, or perhaps even something desi a la Tata or Maruti. Well, if you aspiring designers are afflicted with insomnia of similar order, you're on the right track. One must hope and dream and endeavour (in addition to spending sleepless nights!). When this craving grows more intense and begins gnawing at your insides, maybe it is time to visualise, put pen to paper and create. For sure the road to the hallowed pinnacle of designerdom is strewn with hurdles and pitfalls, but it is the ones with the spirit to endure who not just survive but excel.

Just one such dreamer who has dared to live his dream and turn it into reality in the breakneck lanes of automobile design, is Ajay Jain. A prolific designer who began his tryst with destiny at a very early age, Ajay, as far back as he can recollect, has always had a penchant for sketching cars. So all-consuming was this urge that young Ajay often was at the receiving end of his mother's ire for not devoting time to de rigeur academic pursuits. As a child Ajay spent many a waking hour drawing cars. The dream to blaze through the industry with his own car company capable of competing with the best from the west was the steely obsession that spurred him on.

Anecdote time. His mother who was also his Hindi and geography teacher at school, found him sketching cars in his geography book during lessons in her class. She threw both Ajay and his book of drawings out of class and he was further subjected to a severe tongue lashing back home. There is a lesson to be learnt here, if you are following a dream, fear not any repercussion and take heart, one day you will realise it provided you keep working at it. Ajay's single-minded perseverance bore fruit. His parents eventually proved to be his pillars of strength. Their unstinting encouragement and unlimited support were instrumental in Ajay's evolution to his current status and standing as designer at the Saab Advanced Design Studio in Sweden.

We'd all love to know how he got to where he is now, personal success stories make great copy so let's start at the beginning. Ajay cleared the Indian Certificate School examination (ICSE) in '89 and opted to study Commerce with Economics, Mathematics and Accountancy as his base subjects. One can only wonder where the aptitude for design filtered in. Ajay sent applications to numerous car design institutes around the world and a few in India as well. One of these was the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad where, interestingly (for want of a better word) he failed the entrance exam! Consequently he set about creating a portfolio which he sent along with his applications to many institutions abroad. He opted for a Bachelor of Science in Transportation Design from the Art Centre College of Design in Switzerland. The institution was relatively new and was aiming to build an international reputation. Once there the portfolios of his classmates made Ajay realise that his was a daunting task. His co-evals from the west had studied art or design at school and were also well versed with the latest computer and drawing techniques. This made him realise the need for exposure to the western train of thought that had clear and strong convictions and opinions on design, styles and future prospects.

Ajay's current portfolio includes a plethora of designs beginning with his stint for Mercedes-Benz on the India Car project. What exactly was the India Car project and what did it and Ajay have to do with Mercedes, the German marque which is now a major player in the Indian market?

Inspired by the Nike and iMac generation, Ajay came up with these sketches designed to appeal to the trendy and hip consumer. These concepts rely on material other than sheet metal such as translucent plastic, brushed aluminium and soft touch rubberised plastics.

In 1995 Ajay began work on the India Car Project while studying for his degree. The concept, intended to be an extension of an autorickshaw but with a lot more sophistication and also incorporating the latest technology, was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. At the same time Mercedes was set to forge an alliance with Telco to launch the W124 E-class in India and had also evinced interest in a Family Concept Car (FCC) for developing nations. They showed keen interest in Ajay's work provided it was based on their innovative A-class platform. Though the Telco-Daimler-Benz JV did not find much favour, with Telco deciding to go on its own in the Indian market with the Indica, Ajay was not to be dissuaded.

He completed his formal education in 1995. In between he worked on research, visualisation and development of concepts with distinguished auto makers, namely Volkswagen in '93, General Motors Europe Design and Opel and Volvo AB in '94 as part of his student projects. These projects which formed an integral part of his learning process, are a basic facility sorely lacking in the Indian education system, which engineers or wannabe designers can only dream of, leave alone use as means to major in a branch as specific as automobile design.

Ajay taught himself the application of various computer programmes other than the formal training he received in computers to aid him in 3D programming and also building his own website, www.a-jay.net.


These stints helped him land his first job as designer in August 1995 with Ford Werke AG in Cologne, Germany. There he had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented and creative car design professionals. The learning process did not stop on graduation day for Ajay as each day in the presence of these experienced and knowledgeable worthies was an education in itself. Ford had just invented New Edge and designs for the Ka, Puma, Cougar and Focus had just been completed. Incidentally, Ajay has also contributed ideas for the current Mondeo, which could be making waves in India later this year in the D-segment which is currently inhabited by the Mercedes C class and which also includes the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata . His stint at Ford saw him contribute to the development of two design proposals as computer generated models, visualisation of concepts for five new products on three different platforms and the feasibility support and visualisation of two alternatives for a developed product line, which eventually emerged as the highly acclaimed Ford Focus.

The two-year experience at Ford provided Ajay with the knowhow to start off on a high in Daewoo's Worthing Technical Centre, Worthing, UK as an Aesthetic Designer Grade 6. At Daewoo he was entrusted the formidable task of working on a design and brand strategy for presentation to Ford Motor Company. Like yours truly, many of you may be mystified as to why an aspiring and upcoming designer would leave the second largest automobile company in the world to work with a firm we now assume is kaput! Well, it has to do with the opportunity to design an entire range of cars, something no designer gets a chance to do at such an early stage in their career. Daewoo's Worthing Design Studio was (it has now been sold off to TWR) a state-of-the-art, high tech workplace with young dynamic designers shaping its destiny. Daewoo was exploring new markets and considering new concepts. Being an upcoming player in the market there were no limits to the flights of creativity indulged in by the designers. Ajay personally had the opportunity to design a car from start to finish, apart from visualisations and design proposals for many other concepts. The high point of his career at Daewoo was the Design & Brand Strategy made for presentation to Ford Motor Co.

Post-Daewoo, Ajay moved to Sweden, where he now resides and works as designer at the Saab Advanced Design Studio, Goteberg.

From India, with his dreams an inspiration, Ajay sure has come a long way from home.

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