India’s First Sports Car Scam : DC Avanti Scam

By byc-adminDecember 31, 2020

Time to Read:-words

Independent carmakers and customisers are known to possess their run-ins with policy makers and now Indian automotive designer Dillip Chhabria is in predicament with the law. The founding father of renowned automotive design house DC Design has recently been arrested by Mumbai Police as a part of an investigation over alleged financing and forgery scams involving DC’s own model, the Avanti. Here’s what you would like to understand about the car and therefore the possible scandal thus far:

What is the DC Avanti?

The Avanti is that the first homegrown mid-engined sports car. Designed, built and sold by Dilip Chhabria Designs Pvt Ltd, the Avanti was launched in 2015. it’s a two-door, two-seater model that was offered during a single trim with a number of optional extras. The bodywork was said to be made up of carbon composite supported a composite high steel chassis. DC planned to sell the car here also as in other countries.

A later model improved the engine output to 310PS and added the choice of a 6-speed AMT with paddle-shifters. However, it’s hard to verify whether this model was actually launched within the market or not.

It wasn’t an expensive offering

The DC Avanti’s “standard” feature list was limited to comforts like AC, power windows, electrically adjustable outside rearview mirrors (which looked almost like the EcoSport’s) and pretend leather upholstery. The list of ‘options’ included bi-xenon headlamps, rear parking camera, push start-stop, leather or Alcantara upholstery and a tuned exhaust. Even the MID within the instrument cluster was an additional . While the security list mentions a roll cage, disc brakes on all four wheels with ABS and 3-point seatbelts, it had no airbags whatsoever.

By the looks of it, this 2015 sports car had AC vents and an aftermarket infotainment system from a mid-size sedan of the late 2000s.

Pricing of the DC Avanti

Since this limited-run model was intended to be highly individualised and it came with an in depth list of optional extras, it didn’t have a standard list like an o.e.m model. However, at the time of launch it had a starting price of Rs 34.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Avanti scam

Mumbai’s Crime Branch was looking into a unit of the Avanti that was said to be running with bogus numbers. The team was ready to contact the owner who presented legitimate paperwork for the car, but found that an equivalent engine and chassis number was registered for an additional car in Haryana.

Investigators further discovered that DC Design Pvt Ltd had taken multiple loans, averaging at Rs 42 lakh per unit, by posing because the customers for his or her own models. As many as 90 of the entire 120 Avantis sold were said to possess been financed during this fraudulent manner. The Crime Branch is additionally looking into the losses to the govt exchequer by virtue of not paying the relevant taxes through the finance schemes. there’ll be an update on the story because the investigation progresses but as of now, the longer term of DC Design, recently renamed as DC2, is very uncertain.