ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the activities that take place during the development of a vehicle concept. The process formally begins with the formation of the core team to begin the vehicle program. The vehicle concept development work usually begins with creating vehicle sketches, drawings, computer-aided design models, and physical properties to illustrate how the proposed vehicle would look and function. The vehicle concept development phase provides a “heads-up” view of the new vehicle. The size and scope of the vehicle program can also affect the time and resources allocated to the concept development phase. The whole purpose of creating a new vehicle is to introduce one or more new vehicle models that will be liked and purchased by the customers. A vehicle platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of perceptually different and distinct models that can differ in body-style, vehicle size, and brands.
