Development of a new car..
12-26-2003, 07:51 AM
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Development of a new car..
I'm tring to get an idea how long it took them to develop the new s4 (or any car for that matter). How does the process of building a new car work.. they can't just start building them in the assembly line right away.. Do they build the first few by hand? or what? can anyone help me understand this. thanks
12-26-2003, 07:59 AM
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you should watch them design/build a new car on TV.......
usually a computer generated design using sketches and ideas from the designers. Then the cars body is molded out of clay by hand. The clay is then scanned and the demensions are input into the computer so the body panels can be stamped or hand made. The interior is done is a similar manner sometimes but usually deigned to accomodate crap from the parts bin. Just a couple steps it's a long process.
12-26-2003, 01:04 PM
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It begins with a concept... the wild vehicles you see at major car shows sometimes are
refined, and sometimes are just wild exteriors to draw attention to new powertrains, etc.
Each company has a varying process, but the general idea is that the vehicle must be approved. A series of studies are commissioned to determine whether the vehicle will work in the marketplace. While this is happening, preliminary design work is taking place (engineering design, not the artistic side). Battles take place between engineering (interior, powertrain, and body structure / exteriors) and the studio to work out compromises.
Once preliminary design work is done, prototype parts are ordered; some are tested for individual component success and some are used to build an early build vehicle. You are correct in assuming that the assembly line is not brought into the picture yet- a slow build facility is often used to work out issues (slowly) that an assembly line, operating at speed, might encounter.
These steps are refined a number of times, and this is likely the difference from one company to another.
Once the vehicle is approaching launch time, the assembly line is operated for a short burst to finalize any other issues, and assuming things run close to optimally, the vehicle is launched.
As others have mentioned, the timing takes between 3-5 years, but it should be noted that that time is often based on when a particular company "starts the clock"- some companies, for example, will not include work done prior to the official go-ahead, thereby reducing the time to production. The actual amount of work spent on the vehicle is greater than publicized. A typical vehicle goes from concept to launch in approximately 4 years.
Does this help?
Each company has a varying process, but the general idea is that the vehicle must be approved. A series of studies are commissioned to determine whether the vehicle will work in the marketplace. While this is happening, preliminary design work is taking place (engineering design, not the artistic side). Battles take place between engineering (interior, powertrain, and body structure / exteriors) and the studio to work out compromises.
Once preliminary design work is done, prototype parts are ordered; some are tested for individual component success and some are used to build an early build vehicle. You are correct in assuming that the assembly line is not brought into the picture yet- a slow build facility is often used to work out issues (slowly) that an assembly line, operating at speed, might encounter.
These steps are refined a number of times, and this is likely the difference from one company to another.
Once the vehicle is approaching launch time, the assembly line is operated for a short burst to finalize any other issues, and assuming things run close to optimally, the vehicle is launched.
As others have mentioned, the timing takes between 3-5 years, but it should be noted that that time is often based on when a particular company "starts the clock"- some companies, for example, will not include work done prior to the official go-ahead, thereby reducing the time to production. The actual amount of work spent on the vehicle is greater than publicized. A typical vehicle goes from concept to launch in approximately 4 years.
Does this help?
12-26-2003, 02:05 PM
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That depends on their approval status... A8 just came out, so they don't want to steal the thunder
of the A8 with the S8- give it a year at least, maybe more depending on the number of variations of the A8 which are planned.
I haven't paid much attention to the A6, but at a guess it should be no more than 2 years away. Manufacturers seem to be aiming at 4 or 5 year life cycles these days. 2 years away would likely mean the design has been finalized, early-revision parts are being produced by suppliers and those parts have been submitted for validation. Early prototypes or mules are up and running (they may be as simple as new powertrain components fitted to current bodies).
I would expect spy shots within a year.
I haven't paid much attention to the A6, but at a guess it should be no more than 2 years away. Manufacturers seem to be aiming at 4 or 5 year life cycles these days. 2 years away would likely mean the design has been finalized, early-revision parts are being produced by suppliers and those parts have been submitted for validation. Early prototypes or mules are up and running (they may be as simple as new powertrain components fitted to current bodies).
I would expect spy shots within a year.
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