DC - About DC Avanti Story & SCAM

2008

The seed of the Avanti was sown with the DC ‘S’ showcased at the 2008 Auto Expo at Delhi. The huge interest and response propelled us to think of developing a Sports car.

2011

Effective ground work, market research and feasibility studies lead to a drawing board version of the envisaged sports car.

2012

DC Design showcased the ‘AVANTI’ a brand new avatar. This car, christened the ‘Avanti’, was shown to a rapturous audience and was critically acclaimed. This response further convinced DC Design to launch this product in a niche segment.

2013

Through the year 2013, the focus was on finalizing the design and engineering aspects of the Avanti. All vendor components were finalized and design and engineering was being calibrated around these components.

2014

As per plan, the first pre–production Avanti was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo as the final designed, engineered and produced version of the original 2012 concept. While this version was unmistakably identifiable as the 2012 Avanti concept, in effect there are no two parts in common with the original concept.

2015

The DC Avanti finally hit the Indian roads in 2015, after it successfully cleared all safety tests prescribed by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

DC Avanti Story

DC Avanti is arguably the biggest scam in the history of the Indian automobile industry. It was orchestrated by the mastermind and owner of DC, Dilip Chhabria. Chhabria is a well-known and accomplished name in the Indian automobile industry. After completing his degree, Chhabria began customizing cars, attracting many renowned celebrities as his clients. He is also credited with designing the famous ‘Tarzan’ car for a movie released in 2004.

After years in automobile design, Dilip Chhabria ventured into car manufacturing. In 2015, DC launched India’s first sports car, the DC Avanti. This two-door, two-seater model was offered in a single trim with a range of optional extras. Its body was made of carbon composite material and was based on a high-strength steel chassis." However, the DC Avanti wasn’t a luxurious offering, and its standard features were limited to comforts like air conditioning, power windows, electrically adjustable outside rear-view mirrors, and faux leather upholstery. In terms of safety features, the Avanti offers disc brakes on all four wheels with ABS and a 3-point seatbelt. However, the car did not have airbags.

The Avanti Scam

It all began when Mumbai’s Crime Branch initiated an investigation into a unit of the Avanti that was allegedly operating with fraudulent numbers. The team was unable to contact the owner, who possessed all the legitimate paperwork for the car. In a surprising twist, the police discovered that the same engine and chassis number was registered to another car in Haryana.

Further investigations revealed that DC Design Pvt Ltd had secured multiple loans, averaging Rs 42 lakh per unit, by posing as customers for their own model. It was reported that about 90 of the 120 Avanti cars sold were financed in this fraudulent manner. This scheme was apparently executed to evade high taxes on such premium cars.

On December 28, 2020, the CIU team of the Mumbai Police arrested Dilip Chhabria after his company was accused of obtaining loans from some non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) by masquerading as customers for their cars. Following Chhabria's arrest, the fate of DC was sealed, leading to the cessation of further car production.

Apart from the scam, another major reason for discontinuing the production of the DC Avanti was its failure to comply with strict automotive safety regulations. To illustrate, the car lacked basic safety features, such as airbags