ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a case study of the product development of a future model of a sports utility vehicle (SUV). The target vehicle selected for this exercise was the 2021 General Motors Truck Company (GMC) Acadia. The chapter discusses customer characteristics, customer needs, market segment, benchmarking of the vehicles, specification of the target vehicle, Pugh diagrams comparing the target vehicle characteristics with its reference and competitors’ vehicles. It outlines technological plan, including changes, design challenges, and risks in the proposed vehicle development plan, program timings and gateways, and sales forecasts and financial analysis. The SUV considered belong within the affordable large-size SUV market segment. At the high end of this segment are body-on-frame SUVs such as the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Tahoe, and Ford Expedition. Car-based SUV provide better fuel economy and a more dynamic driving experience than truck-based vehicles. The customers for SUVs can be classified primarily as millennials with families.
