When Martin Uhlarik was appointed head of the Tata Motors European Technical Centre, it was a rare example of a designer taking on serious responsibilities relating to production and engineering.

Alongside his role as global head of design, the expanded scope sees him frequently involved in engineering planning meetings where details are pored over and the realities of taking a design from sketch to series production are brought to light.

Part of the job comes down to bridging the gap between two historically disparate teams – one group looking very much into the future, and another working with what is