Earlier this week we showed you a quick teaser image of the new DC Design sports car that was to debut at the Delhi Auto Expo this week. If you’ll recall, DC Design is an Indian auto firm better known for its custom vehicles. Well, the time has come and DC Design’s first production car has arrived.
Called the Avanti, India’s first foray into the commercial supercar market is certainly hard to miss. It’s a mid-engine, two-seater that seemingly borrows some design themes from Italian mainstay Ferrari with a hearty helping of the Audi-R8.
Much is being made of India’s first production supercar. Speaking at the launch of the Avanti, Dilip Chhabria, one of the guiding forces at DC Design said, “Every country which has written its name in the pantheon of automobile manufacturing has invariably distinguished itself with sports cars by its own nationals” further adding, “Indian rightly needs to be in this exclusive club.”
It appears DC Design took a very holistic approach with the Avanti. All the design for the Avanti was done in-house, as well as the engineering and production process. Where the Avanti does look for outside assistance is with the various proprietary parts it utilizes from various car makers — most notably in the areas of drivetrain and suspension.
Powering the Avanti is a specially tuned Ford EcoBoost 2.0-liter four cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve engine, which will make use of both turbocharging with direct injection, but also features variable valve timing as well.
Production for the Avanti will begin in 2013, with DC intending to set initial production numbers at 300 units, with the intention to ramp up that number to four figures per annum. And while the style and design of the Avanti might not be to everyone’s liking, the price might not be something most can take joy in. DC has stated that is intends to keep the cost of the Avanti relatively low at around $56,000.
