An overview of modular car architecture: The OEMS perspective on why and how

Abstract

The diversification of an OEM's model range serves to address as many customers as possible and thus cover as much of the market as possible. Here, the recognisable external difference between the cars therefore plays an important role in market positioning. However, the large number of variants also generates high cost; all part of mastering this complexity. One of the solutions to overcoming this problem is the use of common parts and modules across different models. The goal is to keep the internal complexity to a minimum whilst maintaining greater external variance, i.e. that which is visible to the customer. This chapter gives a brief overview from the OEM's perspective and serves as an introduction to the other chapters in this section. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.