Aishwarya Mahbubani is one of India’s pioneering female transportation designers, with extensive experience across both concept and production vehicles. During her tenure at Maruti Suzuki, she contributed to the design of key models such as the R3 Concept, Wagon R, and Celerio, working as part of the Exterior Design team. Her work spanned the entire design process — from early ideation and proportion studies to final model development — reflecting a deep engagement with the evolving language of mobility and the sensibilities of Indian consumers.
With an undergraduate background in architecture, her approach to design is grounded in spatial clarity, proportion, and form. She strongly believes in the cross-pollination of disciplines — the most enduring and imaginative solutions often emerge where ideas intersect.
Following a fulfilling chapter teaching vehicle design and visual communication, she founded Phoenix Design Labs, a studio focused on transportation and industrial design. Under her leadership, PDL delivered on exterior proposals for EV startups focusing on building a future-forward, human-centered design language — one that is timeless, technologically attuned, and rooted in the Indian context. PDL’s work explored new vehicle platforms and sustainable processes, with a focus on addressing emerging urban challenges, technological disruption, and the changing needs of people in a complex world.
Aishwarya’s teaching approach reflects her commitment to design excellence, encouraging critical thinking, and the cultivation of bold, original voices in the next generation of designers.