The teenager scrolling through Instagram today, barely old enough for a learner’s permit, will be Mahindra’s target customer in 2027. That sixteen-year-old’s preferences—shaped by smartphones, sustainability consciousness, and fundamentally different mobility expectations—are dictating design decisions being made right now in Mahindra’s studios. This isn’t speculation; it’s the deliberate strategy of Pratap Bose, Chief Design and Creative Officer at Mahindra & Mahindra, who is orchestrating one of Indian automotive design’s most ambitious transformations. “The person we are designing for does not even have a driver’s licence today,” Bose reveals, articulating a philosophy that forces his team to peer nearly a decade into the future. In an industry where design cycles span three years and product lifecycles stretch seven, this forward-looking approach isn’t optional—it’s existential. As Bose succinctly warns, “If you design for today, by the time you come to market, you are obsolete.” His vision extends beyond vehicle styling to encompass entire brand ecosystems, radical electrification strategies, and a conviction that Indian designers are uniquely positioned to lead global automotive innovation.
Beyond Sheet Metal: Designing the Complete Brand Experience
Pratap Bose’s conception of design transcends traditional boundaries. For him, design encompasses the entire customer journey—from how vehicles look and perform to how customers interact with mobile applications, navigate showrooms, and experience charging infrastructure. This holistic philosophy demands multidisciplinary capabilities within his nearly 200-person team across Mumbai and the United Kingdom, including architects and futurists who conceptualise not merely cars but comprehensive experiences.
“The need for a singular, cohesive experience is paramount,” Bose explains. “Right from the app to the charging station itself, there cannot be five different things and five different experiences. It has to be that singular Mahindra experience.” This approach aligns with global trends where leading brands maintain consistent customer journeys across all touchpoints, recognising that fragmented experiences undermine brand equity and customer loyalty.
His conviction extends to anticipating fundamental shifts in car retail. Whilst the traditional dealership model remains relevant in India—where consumers prefer seeing, touching, and experiencing vehicles firsthand—Bose acknowledges that disruption looms. “Tomorrow, someone may say you do not need a dealership at all, which is common elsewhere,” he observes, urging designers and brands to remain agile and anticipatory. This requires designing flexible brand expressions that work across physical and digital channels, accommodating retail models that may not yet exist. The platform Mahindra’s team has developed, NU_IQ, exemplifies this long-range thinking. Products based on this architecture will begin rolling out in 2027 and are expected to remain relevant well into the 2040s—a timeline that demands extraordinary foresight about technological capabilities, regulatory environments, and cultural values two decades hence.
The Tyranny of Timelines and Generational Shifts
One of the fundamental challenges Bose navigates is the disconnect between rapidly evolving consumer expectations and the automotive industry’s extended development cycles. Smartphones refresh annually; car models typically remain current for approximately seven years following design cycles of 36 to 40 months. Designers are effectively working on decade-long horizons, attempting to anticipate needs and desires of consumers whose preferences are still forming. “You have to really push the boat out… If you design for today, by the time you come to the market, you are dead. You are obsolete,” Bose emphasises. This necessitates a profound understanding of emerging cultural and technological trajectories—not merely incremental improvements but genuine foresight about how mobility, technology, and lifestyle will intersect years hence.
Remarkably, much of Mahindra’s current design focus targets consumers who haven’t yet obtained driving licences. These younger generations arrive with fundamentally different mindsets. Many may not even want to drive, influenced by urbanisation patterns, evolving mobility services, and technological alternatives. “Someone who is sixteen or seventeen now—by the time they are in the market for a car—that is whom we are designing NU_IQ for,” Bose states.
This demographic prioritises the “cool” factor, where automotive choices signal identity and values rather than merely transportation utility. Today’s young buyers conduct thorough research, often possessing deeper technical knowledge than their parents—a behavioural shift with profound implications for how vehicles are designed, marketed, and sold. They’ve grown up dispensing with complexity in their devices; they expect similar simplicity from vehicles. “They have dispensed with the whole need to service, use gears, and oil changes because they do not do any of that with their phones,” Bose observes.
Radical Design as Market Strategy
When Mahindra unveiled electric vehicles BE 6 and XEV 9e, critics questioned whether the radical designs suited Indian consumers. Bose’s response is unequivocal: “If you are not radical, you are already old. And this is true for human beings, cars, and any product.” Bold innovation, he argues, doesn’t merely attract attention—it acquires entirely new customer segments.
The data validates this approach: 80% of those purchasing the new EVs were first-time buyers and new to the Mahindra brand, suggesting design innovation serves as a powerful acquisition lever. These weren’t traditional Mahindra customers tentatively trying electric; they were new demographics drawn specifically by the vehicles’ distinctive character.
Electrification has fundamentally democratised automotive production. Previously, carmaking centred around engine technology—a domain requiring decades of expertise and massive capital investment. Now, software increasingly drives vehicle experience, enabling new entrants. “Companies like Xiaomi and Huawei, who didn’t previously make cars, are entering the scene,” Bose notes. This shift requires designers to think beyond mechanical engineering towards software interfaces, integrated experiences, and digital ecosystems.
Bose himself embodies Indian automotive design’s global ascent. Trained at the Royal College of Art in London and having worked with Tata Motors and international firms, he brings a rich cross-cultural perspective. “Indian designers globally have come of age with the market coming of age too,” he observes. India’s rapid market growth, extraordinary product diversity, and intense price competition create fertile ground for design innovation. “Indian designers come from a hyper-competitive market and know what it means to stay fresh and cutting edge,” Bose argues, positioning them advantageously for global opportunities.
His work at Mahindra demonstrates how Indian companies can lead automotive transformation rather than merely participate. By designing for customers who don’t yet drive, building decade-spanning platforms, embracing radical aesthetics, and reconceiving design as a comprehensive brand experience, Bose is charting a course that may well define not just Mahindra’s future but the broader trajectory of Indian automotive design on the global stage. In an industry historically dominated by European and Japanese aesthetics, this represents more than incremental progress—it’s a fundamental recalibration of where automotive innovation originates and who defines its direction.