Meeting new people from different backgrounds of the automotive industry and making the audience aware of the future of mobility is what EV Cartel aims for. The Cartel Cognoscente will be an interview series by EV Cartel where we speak to people who are experts in the field of electric and future mobility. In the pursuit to bring people closer to the products they see on roads and understand what goes behind the minds of such personalities who develop them, we spoke to Mr. Amit Raut from Geely UK, our first cognoscente.
From Chennai to Coventry, from SV Autobiography of JLR to Type 132 Electric SUV of Lotus, Amit has worked with the big names of Auto Industry and applied his expertise in developing new vehicle concepts and creating vehicle packages & architectures!
Here’s an excerpt from the amazing talk we had with Amit, when we met him at IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich.
EV Cartel: Can you give us details in brief about your background and your journey from Tata Technologies in Pune to the current role in Geely UK?
Amit: I am a Pune born and bred guy, lived in Pune for the first 23 years of my life. I studied at MIT Pune and worked with Tata Technologies, Pune for a year and half, before I moved to Germany for higher studies. In Germany, I attended a Masters course in Technical Management, learnt a lot about German culture, made good friends during my university days and also worked at Ford in Cologne. I worked with Ford for over three years and in three countries – Germany, India and UK. I loved my work at Ford, being part of a global organisation, working with people from all over the world. In 2011, I was offered a role in the UK office of Ford, to work on Transit programs; and that’s when I moved to UK. Gosh – over 10 years ago, feels like yesterday.
I worked in the Dunton office for over 8 months – again learning a lot about UK way of life and enjoying the weekends in London with my new friends. Towards the end of 2011, I was offered a role with Jaguar Land Rover and I moved to the Midlands to join the vehicle package team at JLR. JLR was a different experience as it was an exciting time for the company after Tata Motors had brought JLR from Ford. There were a lot of new projects, new teams, global expansion plans and an exciting atmosphere to be a part of at JLR. I worked with JLR for about 8 years, between 2011 and 2019, Vehicle package engineering to start with and finishing at the Special Vehicle Operations department, working on SVRs and Autobiographies, as a forward model architecture leader.
In early 2019, Geely was setting up a Design & Engineering Centre in the UK and I was given the opportunity to join Geely as a Head of the Department. I am with Geely for almost two and a half years now, leading the Concept, Package and Feasibility departments and the Serviceability Engineering team since start of 2021. It’s been an exciting journey, from finishing college to where I am now, learning a lot, meeting new people, working in different cultures, and moving to different countries.
EV Cartel: How does it feel to be working with Geely and what products do you work on?
Amit: In the UK, my team is part of the Geely-Lotus Tech group and we work primarily on Lotus projects. Lotus has been with Geely group since 2017 and we are undergoing a big change. As a brand, Lotus are moving towards electric cars, and we are expanding our Lotus portfolio. It’s out in the media as well now, we are developing electric saloons and electric SUVs. So, it’s a big shift for Lotus, from two-seater sports cars to a different market of Saloons and SUVs. It is thrilling and challenging at the same time and everyone in the Geely organisation is supportive of Lotus with all the help we need. It feels like the right place to work, everything is coming together and the products are astonishing and the future looks amazing.
EV Cartel: What are the current platforms you are working on and are they going to be purely electric?
Amit: My team is currently focusing on electric vehicles. So, the platforms are pure electric. We also want to play a part in building a sustainable future and as a company we are striving hard to do things differently to make a difference in this world. As you know from last months’ media reports we have four new products over the next five years. Type 132 is a E-segment SUV, Type 133 is an electric 4-door saloon, Type 134 is a D segment SUV and Type 135 is an electric sports car. Lotus is in the premium performance car segment, and we shall be pushing hard on innovation and premium design in our products.
EV Cartel: Can you tell us more about your work in the serviceability engineering? What does it involve? Does this department of R&D have contact with the customers to get feedback?
Amit: The serviceability team that I look after, is part of the product development team, so we work on Design for Serviceability as part of the concurrent engineering development plan. There’s a specific team that does the customer interface and feedback. The after-sales and operations team collect information from the customers and various markets and then do the value mapping of components with the product engineers.
EV Cartel: The projects you are working on, are they specific for some region? And can you describe how are Lotus products, do you get opportunities to test them?
Amit: The projects that we are working on are global products. Lotus Cars are best known for aerodynamics and vehicle handling. They’re lightweight and you feel like you are connected to the road when you drive them. I’ve driven Lotus Elise a few times around the track and even in city conditions, its engaging and gives me more happiness than just sitting in any other car and cruising around. Lotus gives you that joy of driving and it is a key aspect of our future projects too. Our cars are made ‘For The Drivers’ which is the Lotus brand strapline.
Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition! Looks beautiful, right?
EV Cartel: Has there been any change in the work culture or influence due to the new ownership, Geely?
Amit: Yes, there is a new found enthusiasm in Lotus; it is becoming braver. Working within the Geely group is intense, it’s dynamic, it’s engaging and it’s rewarding, all at the same time. I think, personally, I’m happier in my job now than in my previous roles, because you get more responsibility, the wider organisation supports you, you get more projects to work on, the work is interesting, and you get to work with multicultural team-mates. We have offices in many countries, like here in Germany, China, Sweden and we also have design studios in China, Spain, the US, Sweden, and UK. We have a big team working with us, and that’s something I like and enjoy.
EV Cartel: How can you compare it with your previous work experiences in Tata Technologies or Ford or JLR?
Amit: In Geely and Lotus Tech, there is a lot more focus on getting things done and getting it done in the right way. There’s a big difference, when compared to working with an engineering services company. Ford and JLR are big companies and I’ve learned a lot while working with them. Geely, for me, is constantly evolving, constantly updating itself. It’s like your Mobile OS – if you can improve on anything, the company, the processes and the people will adapt and will invent new efficient ways. Geely has invested and is continuing to invest a lot in R&D. There’s never a feeling of holding back and we have all the support we need to deliver on our mission as set by the senior leadership. We are always looking forward to the next five years, the next 10 years, and so on. It is exciting!
EV Cartel extends its heartfelt wishes to Amit and his team at Geely UK, wishing them more success and soon hoping to visit their facility to get our hands dirty on their test track! 😉
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