Automotive Development Processes

The global crisis the automotive industry has slipped into over the second half of 2008 has set a fierce spotlight not only on which cars are the right ones to bring to the market but also on how these cars are developed. Be it OEMs developing new models, suppliers integerating themselves deeper into the development processes of different OEMs, analysts estimating economical risks and opportunities of automotive investments, or even governments creating and evaluating scenarios for financial aid for suffering automotive companies: At the end of the day, it is absolutely indispensable to comprehensively understand the processes of auto- tive development – the core subject of this book. Let’s face it: More than a century after Carl Benz, Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler developed and produced their first motor vehicles, the overall concept of passenger cars has not changed much. Even though components have been considerably optimized since then, motor cars in the 21st century are still driven by combustion engines that transmit their propulsive power to the road s- face via gearboxes, transmission shafts and wheels, which together with spri- damper units allow driving stability and ride comfort. Vehicles are still navigated by means of a steering wheel that turns the front wheels, and the required control elements are still located on a dashboard in front of the driver who operates the car sitting in a seat.

The automotive industry faces constant pressure to reduce development costs and time while still increasing vehicle quality. To meet this challenge, engineers and researchers in both science and industry are developing effective strategies and flexible tools by enhancing and further integrating powerful, computer-aided design technology. This book provides a valuable overview of the development tools and methods of today and tomorrow. It is targeted not only towards professional project and design engineers, but also to students and to anyone who is interested in state-of-the-art computer-aided development. The book begins with an overview of automotive development processes and the principles of virtual product development. Focusing on computer-aided design, a comprehensive outline of the fundamentals of geometry representation provides a deeper insight into the mathematical techniques used to describe and model geometrical elements. The book then explores the link between the demands of integrated design processes and efficient data management. Within automotive development, the management of knowledge and engineering data plays a crucial role. Some selected representative applications provide insight into the complex interactions between computer-aided design, knowledge-based engineering and data management and highlight some of the important methods currently emerging in the field.

Motivated by Toyota's product development capabilities, Daniel Sörensen examines the question of how much to invest in pursuing parallel design alternatives. A real option to switch is modeled accounting for interproject correlations. Based upon economic theory, five principles for value-maximizing the product development process are presented.

This book is about how to develop future automotive products by applying the latest methodologies based on a systems engineering approach and by taking into account many issues facing the auto industry such as meeting government safety, emissions and fuel economy regulations, incorporating advances in new technology applications in structural materials, power trains, vehicle lighting systems, displays and telematics, and satisfying the very demanding customer. It is financially disastrous for any automotive company to create a vehicle that very few people want. To design an automotive product that will be successful in the marketplace requires carefully orchestrated teamwork of experts from many disciplines, substantial amount of resources, and application of proven techniques at the right time during the product development process. Automotive Product Development: A Systems Engineering Implementation is intended for company management personnel and graduate students in engineering, business management and other disciplines associated with the development of automotive and other complex products.

This book presents the state of the art, challenges and future trends in automotive software engineering. The amount of automotive software has grown from just a few lines of code in the 1970s to millions of lines in today’s cars. And this trend seems destined to continue in the years to come, considering all the innovations in electric/hybrid, autonomous, and connected cars. Yet there are also concerns related to onboard software, such as security, robustness, and trust. This book covers all essential aspects of the field. After a general introduction to the topic, it addresses automotive software development, automotive software reuse, E/E architectures and safety, C-ITS and security, and future trends. The specific topics discussed include requirements engineering for embedded software systems, tools and methods used in the automotive industry, software product lines, architectural frameworks, various related ISO standards, functional safety and safety cases, cooperative intelligent transportation systems, autonomous vehicles, and security and privacy issues. The intended audience includes researchers from academia who want to learn what the fundamental challenges are and how they are being tackled in the industry, and practitioners looking for cutting-edge academic findings. Although the book is not written as lecture notes, it can also be used in advanced master’s-level courses on software and system engineering. The book also includes a number of case studies that can be used for student projects.

The evolution and execution of automotive manufacturing are explored in this fundamental manual. It is an excellent reference for entry level manufacturing engineers and also serves as a training guide for nonmanufacturing professionals. The book covers the major areas of vehicle assembly manufacturing and addresses common approaches and procedures of the development process. Having held positions as both a University Professor and as a Lead Engineering Specialist in industry, the author draws on his experience in both theory and application to fill the gap between academic research and industrial practices. This concisely written, comprehensive review discusses the sophisticated principles and concepts of automotive manufacturing from development to applications and includes: 250 illustrations and 90 tables. End-of-chapter review questions. Research topics for in-depth case studies, literature reviews, and/or course projects. Analytical problems for additional practice. Directly extracted and summarized from automotive manufacturing practices, this book serves as an essential manual. The subject is complemented by the author’s first book, Automotive Vehicle Assembly Processes and Operations Management, which provides even greater depth to the complex endeavor of modern automotive manufacturing.

Motivated by Toyota's product development capabilities, Daniel Sörensen examines the question of how much to invest in pursuing parallel design alternatives. A real option to switch is modeled accounting for interproject correlations. Based upon economic theory, five principles for value-maximizing the product development process are presented.

Since the early seventies, the development of the automobile has been characterized by a steady increase in the deploymnet of onboard electronics systems and software. This trend continues unabated and is driven by rising end-user demands and increasingly stringent environmental requirements. Today, almost every function onboard the modern vehicle is electronically controlled or monitored. The software-based implementation of vehicle functions provides for unparalleled freedoms of concept and design. However, automobile development calls for the accommodation of contrasting prerequisites – such as higher demands on safety and reliability vs. lower cost ceilings, longer product life cycles vs. shorter development times – along with growing proliferation of model variants. Automotive Software Engineering has established its position at the center of these seemingly conflicting opposites. This book provides background basics as well as numerous suggestions, rare insights, and cases in point concerning those processes, methods, and tools that contribute to the surefooted mastery of the use of electronic systems and software in the contemporary automobile.