7/30/2019 Automotive designing 2

1/2

Ke y c hallenges | Automotivedesign| About design| DesignCouncil

org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design//Key-challenges/

We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our

use of cookies. Find out more X

Home > About design > Types of design > Transport Design > Automotive design >

Key challenges

Challenges faced by automotive designersA particular characteristic of the way that automotive design operates is the complete integration of

the design team in the business process . The des ign team is involved from the inception of the product

right through to its launch and is an essential part of the automotive manufacturing business.

The design team will have specific influence on the following areas of the automotive manufacturing process:

Marketing the design team holds the key to the power of the brand and can help visualise it

Finance the design team determines how to share the money between aesthetics, engineering,

ergonomics, marketing and the other disciplines involved

Engineering the design and engineering teams have to work alongside one another to achieve a balance

between form and function

Automotive design is important because it:

Influences - the look of a vehicle has the power to define, modify, or change a brand in the eyes of the

customer

Communicates - the appearance of the vehicle is the first thing that the customer sees and on that basis

they make the decision to investigate further or to walk away

Changes - a design can be evolutionary, trendsetting, revolutionary, shocking or a mixture of these things

Deceives - a vehicles appearance can communicate a massive step forward that isnt matched by its

technical content

Automotive design is directly relevant to automotive manufacturers and related industries, but the nature of the

discipline may also be of interest to business decision makers in other areas of design.

Remember, automotive design isnt all glamour. The challenges are many and varied - from designing sustainably

through to meeting safety requirements.

The complexity of the product

The car is one of the most complex products available for consumer purchase. It has a greater number of

functional attributes than a static design object and, as such, requires several teams of specialists to work on its

production. In order not to destabilise the timing and cost of the design and development process it is essential

that the automotive designer is capable of efficiently and convincingly communicating his or her needs with the

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Privacy-Policy/

7/30/2019 Automotive designing 2

2/2

Ke y c hallenges | Automotivedesign| About design| DesignCouncil

org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design//Key-challenges/

TweetTweet 0 0 1Like 0

other specialists.

Designing for safety

Pedestrian protection regulations present a major challenge to the designer both in terms of basic vehicle

proportion and body sculpture. Directives have been issued and studios are currently working to the new

constraints. The areas most severely affected are front overhang and the height of the bonnet.

Component sharing

It is now common automotive practice to use the same platforms and components for two or more different

vehicles, and the design challenge is to differentiate the vehicles from each other to ensure that the platform

commonality is not recognised by the customer.

Reducing waste

The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC) aims to reduce the amount of waste generated by cars

destined for scrap. The greatest implications of this legislation are for engineering but it also impacts upon the

design of both the exterior and interior of passenger cars.

BMW is leading the way so far, offering a free take-back service to owners of BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini

vehicles whose cars have come to the end of their natural life. All the vehicles undergo an environmentally friendly

disposal process that ensures that 85% of the vehicle will be recovered and recycled.

Find out more about End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulations on the DTI website

Previous Next

Design Council

Legal notice: By using this website you agree to be bound by our Conditions of use.

The Design Council is not responsible for content on external websites linked to from this site.

ShareShare

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Conditions-of-use/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Future-trends/http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/elv/page30591.htmlhttp://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/Types-of-design/Transport-Design/Automotive-design/Key-challenges/#http://twitter.com/search?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designcouncil.org.uk%2Fabout-design%2FTypes-of-design%2FTransport-Design%2FAutomotive-design%2FKey-challenges%2Fhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designcouncil.org.uk%2Fabout-design%2FTypes-of-design%2FTransport-Design%2FAutomotive-design%2FKey-challenges%2F&text=Key%20challenges%20%7C%20Automotive%20design%20%7C%20About%20design%20%7C%20Design%20Council%3A&tw_p=tweetbutton&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designcouncil.org.uk%2Fabout-design%2FTypes-of-design%2FTransport-Design%2FAutomotive-design%2FKey-challenges%2F%23.UNv3a66g45g.twitter