Automatic Choice

As Senior Designer with Renault Groupe in Mumbai, Ramandeep Singh finds an exciting platform to express his childhood passion for automobiles

- Ramandeep Singh

How were you drawn to transportation design?

RS: I was born in family of car lovers - my father had a Datsun pickup and my grandfather had a Chevrolet Impala - so the passion and love for automobiles was already in my blood. I also loved sketching as a child. As I grew my love for automobiles grew exponentially and slowly my sketching was focused completely on cars and bikes. At school I was always caught drawing cars on my notebooks and even classroom tables.

Not having much knowledge about the design profession in general, I started my Bachelor’s in Commerce at Punjab University. During this time my madness for automobiles grew sky high and I spent a lot of time researching automotive design. I started sending my work to some professionals and realized where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. After graduation, I enrolled for Transportation Design at MIT Institute of Design, Pune in 2006.

What role has formal design education played in your career?

RS: While formal education at MIT gave me a design platform and introduction to automotive design, it was a lot of self learning, practice and passion that has got me where I am today. My major learning was from my batch mates, Arun and Rigun. It was the team work that kept us pushing each other to be the best at design. The real break came when I won a VDA Design Award in 2008. It was an international competition organized by VDA (the German Automotive Industry association) in Germany. My work was displayed at IAA, the international motor show in Hannover, Germany. I was invited for the awards function and also to meet the heads of design of various German automotive companies. I was awarded an internship with Mercedes Benz that changed my life and career.

Walk us through the milestones of your professional journey.