Customer Needs, Business Needs, and Government Requirements

This chapter provides background information on how customer needs, business needs, and government requirements are obtained and used to develop complex automotive products. The customers of future vehicles are first identified with the help of marketing researchers and surveyed by vehicle designers and engineers to identify their needs. The needs are then translated into vehicle attribute requirements. The product planners study the business needs of the company and future government regulations to ensure that the right type of products is selected for future success of the company. The chapter provides examples of the three types of needs and methods used to obtain the information. It provides footprint-based curves of fuel economy and emissions requirements developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that vehicles sold by auto manufacturers meet the requirements for the fleet of vehicles they produce in each model year.