Supra SAEINDIA: An Exciting Platform For Engineering Students

Introduced in 2011 by Maruti Suzuki India and Society of Automotive Engineers India (SAEINDIA), the competition is now in its fourth edition and the finale of this year will be held at Chennai Motor Race Track between July 15 - July 19, 2015. This year around 2200 students from 167 engineering colleges will compete for the winner title.

The concept behind SUPRA SAEINDIA 2015 is that a fictional manufacturing company has contacted a design team to develop a small Formula style race car, and the target marketing group for the race car is the non-professional weekend autocross racer. Each team designs and produces a prototype based on well laid down rules & regulations.

Speaking on Maruti Suzuki's association with the competition, the company's Executive Director - Marketing & Sales, Mr R S Kalsi said, "Our association with SAEINDIA showcases this commitment towards skill development of engineering students. It helps promote their dreams and aspirations, leverage their strengths, tap into their talents and collaborate with them to make our country's future bright."

As a process, participating students go through a 3-stage process over a period of 1 year to be eligible for the final event.

Stage 1: Virtual Design Round - It's an eliminating rounds, in which students from engineering colleges are asked to submit their design made by the car maker virtual simulation software provided to the participating teams free of cost. For this, students are called for training program on design software & manufacturing techniques.

Stage 2: The selected students from Virtual Design Round then go through a training program about sourcing and costing that enable them to manufacture their cars. This is a vital part of the entire process since it teaches students on how to source components in the budget they have. Top two teams that manage to keep their product cost competitive are awarded at the finale.

Stage 3: Teams which get successful in manufacturing their cars as per specifications then go to the final event. Just so you know, students are allowed to use up to 610cc, 4-stroke engines and the chassis of the vehicle should have steel-frame.

The selected cars then are tested on parameters like maneuverability, technological innovation, fuel economy, endurance, performance and stability.

Commenting on the entire process, Mr Sirish Vissa, Technical Committee Chair, Supra SAEINDIA 2015 & Head - Volkswagen Motorsport India said, "In this process, students learn to develop a design, understand the process of new product development, industrial procurement,, manufacturing, assembly and prototyping."