Tilo Klumpp is Senior Designer at Volkswagen and has been with the group for 15 years now. He is the expert in designing for the small car segment and spearheaded work on the recently launched Ameo compact sedan.

In this email interview, Klumpp discusses how the project was conceived, the challenges faced in design and why this experience will come in handy for VW as part of its emerging markets strategy.

What was the design mandate given to you for the Ameo?

The clear mandate was that the proportion of the car should become, as much as possible, that of a three box sedan while we carry over the doors and the third side window from the hatchback model.

In other words, we had to make a limousine under four metres in length.

Did you also get inputs on India’s young population, the growing role of women and its sheer diversity while designing the Ameo?

We carefully studied the Indian market, understood the gaps and requirements in the segment through our in-depth market research and set out to create a product that was distinctly Indian.

Sticking with Volkswagen’s global design language, the Ameo was designed on the lines of the Polo hatchback, a carline that has been very popular in India since it was introduced.

When did the project finally get off the ground and what was your team like?

The fastest developed Volkswagen carline, the project took us two-and-a-half years, from conceptualisation to production. The carline was designed in Wolfsburg, supported by market research conducted in India as well as Wolfsburg.

Did you have any reference points in terms of other models?

In terms of other car brands in India, we took careful note of the design language of the Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent.

What were the challenges while attempting to strike the balance between style, price and comfort?

The biggest but very interesting challenge was to take care of the existing parts we had to overtake, to design the C-pillar as fluently as possible and the trunk lid as long as possible.

To design the C-pillar was a challenge, because the car is short and the rear end high. The angles are steeper and the transitions are shorter. But I think we found the perfect solution.

Were there any unique characteristics about India that made this exercise interesting?

The sub-four metre segment is one of the fastest growing in India. Primarily due to lower taxes on cars under four metres in length and a three box design that offers great boot space, the cars in this segment have found high popularity amongst Indian customers.

To tap this high potential segment, Volkswagen decided to enter this space with a car specially developed for India, which also extends our product portfolio between Polo and Vento.

What was interesting is that the compact sedan fits the Indian middle class budget space.

It gives the pleasure of owning a sedan utilising every inch of the four metre length and is also easy to park and manoeuvre in India’s tricky traffic conditions.

In addition to serving utilitarian needs of the consumer, the compact sedan also works as a status symbol.

With countries like India critical for automakers, is there a need for people like you to think differently on design? Also, will this experience come in handy for VW’s emerging markets strategy?

Emerging markets like India definitely need different cars than western countries.

The needs for customers, the average income, road conditions and at least cultural life can be very different to those in western markets and therefore create different demands.

That is why VW has to be close to local markets, especially in terms of packages and design.

The Ameo is, therefore, a very good example. It is specifically designed for India with German engineering.

It features all the safety VW is known for. It is a compact sedan within four metres in length to fit Indian tax regulations. It has a single luggage compartment, separated from the passenger cabin. And I absolutely agree that the designing experience with the Ameo can be extended to other emerging markets.

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