How do car manufacturers decide on which technology to introduce in a car?

[olga_yunak]

I am doing a study about the car of the future and how car makers decide on which feature/technology to introduce in their models. I know that there there are some quantifiable measurements/criteria that car makers follow when they evaluate new technolgies. For example, A technology is attractive to them because it will allow, let's say, a 6% fuel consumption reduction and so on. Can somebody help me with this "insider" information?

[FYRHWK1]

Its no insider info, but basically it's all about cost, there are very few cases where a company will put something into a car that they can't make money off of. Things like overhead cams are more expensive and unnecessary for an engine, but they allow it to put out prettier numbers to impress ineducated buyers from less engine, theres also gas mileage benefits from not needing more engine power but thats getting off topic. They'll make more money off a car that gets better gas mileage because people will want to buy it, but that also depends if they can beat the market competition, its just about selling mroe then whoever else you're copmeting against, and doing it for less money.

[olga_yunak]

Thanks for the reply. It is logical what you are saying. I have been calling car makers here in Europe and they all seem to have more specific guidelines (like a DNA code of a car) of what to put in a car. I am after those parameters. They are hard to get....

[ivymike1031]

In your last comment, you seem to be describing a bill of materials (BOM), which is used to describe what goes into a car as it is being produced.

[SaabJohan]

In general the board of directors want to make the cars so cheap as possible, but also sell as many cars as they can. The engineers on the other hand want to have as much "high tech stuff" in the car that is possible. Then we usually also have researchers that tries to find out what the customers want.

Then of course all new models are tested so they meet the standards the manufacturer has sat up; this is every thing from road handeling, sounds from the engine and from doors (they want the right sound from doors when they are closed... can seem funny) to car safety. Car manufacturers often have specific criterias what a car of their own brand should have.

Stronger engines are often blamed to use more fuel than the weaker ones. This is not always true. With modern technology, and the weight of todays cars stronger engines often consume almost equal to the weaker engines that are based on the same design.
Often engines are based on a few basic designs, then there are just a few changes that separate them like; software, turbochargers, camshafts, valves, conrods, crankshaft, intercoolers, fuelinjectors and so on.
For example we can change software and the 140 hp engine becomes a 170 hp engine (that probably cost $1000 extra for the customer), we can also make a 185 hp engine becoming a 250 hp by changing software and turbochargers. This numbers are based on real car engines and this type of changes usually don't cost anything (except for the developments cost) for the manufacturer but can cause higher cost if for example a more expensive clutch is needed.

If we take the example with overhead camshafts, double over head camshafts with 4/cyl in a pentroof chamber in this case, engineers know that they will increase flow (by 50-100% compared to conventional 2 valve technology) and give more power (under all rpms), but they will also make the engine more efficient. For an automotive engineer it's a obvious choice, but it's also more expensive and is therefore not always appreciated by the ones who are going to hold the costs down.
It's almost so with new technology, fuel injection vs carburetors is another example (emission laws killed carburetors).

[Hudson]

Originally posted by olga_yunak
Thanks for the reply. It is logical what you are saying. I have been calling car makers here in Europe and they all seem to have more specific guidelines (like a DNA code of a car) of what to put in a car. I am after those parameters. They are hard to get....

Terms like "DNA" leads me to believe you talked to public relations people. They have little or no idea how a vehicle is developed. They use terms like "DNA" to give their products some sort of inherent differentiation from the competition. "DNA" refers to the concept behind the vehicle, like sportiness in a BMW, luxury in a Rolls-Royce, economy in a Daihatsu.

These PR people are just saying that the engineers choose parts that fit this quality they're trying to cultivate. It's not the answer you're looking for.