Dilip Chhabria is an Indian car designer and the founder of DC Design.[2] He designed and manufactured the DC Avanti,[3] which is considered India's first sports car.[4] In 2020, he was arrested for running a car scam.[5]
Biography
Dilip Chhabria graduated with a bachelor's degree in commerce. In a 2015 interview, he said that he had seen an advertisement in a car magazine and decided to become a car designer.[1] He then studied in the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, US.
In 2002, he was hired by the Kinetic Engineering Limited to design a limited edition scooter.[7] In 2003, DC Design constructed a prototype for Aston Martin Vantage to be showcased in the 2003 Detroit Motor Show, based on designs from Aston Martin.[8] In 2004 he designed a car for the film Taarzan: The Wonder Car. In 2006, he tied up with Exim Star of ETA Star Group to form a new company, DCStar. It was set up in Dubai to produce custom cars.[9] In 2009, he designed a concept car for the Coca-Cola Company to promote the energy drink Burn in India.[10] In 2011, he designed the REVA NXR electric car for Mahindra & Mahindra.[11] In 2012, Air Works India tied up with Chhabria to design airplane interiors.[12] In 2013, he was hired by Siddhi Vinayak Logistics to design the buses for their luxury bus service.[13] In 2014, he designed custom luxury buses for Girikand Logistics.[14] In 2015, he launched the DC Avanti.[15]
On 29 December 2020, Chhabria was arrested for running a car scam.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23] On 7 January 2021, comedian Kapil Sharma filed an FIR against Chhabria for cheating him.[24]