Car Craze

The development of an automobile or car typically takes two and a half to three years to complete before actual production takes place. This is quite understandable since car manufacturers are not only concerned with the aesthetics of its creation but also with the efficiency and safety standards that should automatically come with any car model offered. Even with such time devoted to development, product recalls have become quite common in the past years with some defects manifesting themselves only several years after introduction to the market.

Production has several stages including engineering research, styling, product and production engineering, tooling, parts manufacturing, testing and assembly. Staff members of the engineering research department specifically of major car producing companies conduct continuous research activities in the hope of providing the best vehicle that would answer the needs of its target market. Artist’s drawings or graphic illustrations are usually the first step in vehicle styling. Small clay models or full-scale models may be produced for detail specification. Style also takes into consideration several factors such as passenger comfort, visibility and headroom, aside from the external appearance.

Production engineers will then work to adapt the proposed design to enable it to be mass produced. A considerable length of time is used for the tooling stage as patterns, dies and special tools are readied for production. The manufacture of automobile parts is made at several separate plants. A prototype needs to be built before actual production. This would allow for the thorough study of the new car design including test driving in all kinds of weather and road conditions. This is usually the phase where mechanical and design changes are done in direct connection with test results. Assembling an automobile generally consists of mass production’s three major elements including the assembly line, standardization of parts and division of labor. The end product is what consumers see in the car showroom.