Bounds on willingness-to-pay in a pure-characteristics model of the demand for automobile variants

I estimate a pure-characteristics discrete choice model of the demand for automobile engine and body style variants, using market-level data. Revealed preference bounds and imposed bounds on the willingness to pay for characteristics as a percentage of product price are sufficient to identify nonparametric taste distributions. Substitution patterns as determined by closest substitutes appear very realistic. The model can be estimated on a single cross-section of data.

The development of improvements to drivers' direct and indirect vision from vehicles - phase 2

This report describes the work undertaken in fulfilment of Phase 2 of the research project relating to the development of improvements to drivers‘ direct and indirect vision from vehicles

Development of a volumetric projection technique for the digital evaluation of field of view

Current regulations for field of view requirements in road vehicles are defined by 2D areas projected on the ground plane. This paper discusses the development of a new software-based volumetric field of view projection tool and its implementation within an existing digital human modelling system. In addition, the exploitation of this new tool is highlighted through its use in a UK Department for Transport funded research project exploring the current concerns with driver vision. Focusing specifically on rearwards visibility in small and medium passenger vehicles, the volumetric approach is shown to provide a number of distinct advantages. The ability to explore multiple projections of both direct vision (through windows) and indirect vision (through mirrors) provides a greater understanding of the field of view environment afforded to the driver whilst still maintaining compatibility with the 2D projections of the regulatory standards. Practitioner Summary: Field of view requirements for drivers of road vehicles are defined by simplified 2D areas projected onto the ground plane. However, driver vision is a complex 3D problem. This paper presents the development of a new software-based 3D volumetric projection technique and its implementation in the evaluation of driver vision in small- and medium-sized passenger vehicles

The digital evaluation of driver’s field of view and its potential impact on cyclist safety

Driver vision from vehicles is a long standing issue. One highly topical scenario includes accidents to vulnerable road users and in particular cyclists, from collisions with large goods vehicles (LGVs). In many of these cases driver vision is a potential causal factor in the occurrence of the accident. This paper presents research performed into the evaluation of driver vision, funded by the UK Department for Transport. To support the research, a 3D volumetric assessment technique was developed in the SAMMIE digital human modelling system. This highly visual technique provides an indication of the visible volumes of space around a vehicle and any blind spots. Vision was evaluated for a range of vehicle types from cars through to LGVs. To investigate the potential casual effects of vision in accidents and specifically those involving cyclists, scenarios were identified from UK Police accident data. These scenarios were then modelled and evaluated digitally. The results highlight that blind spots exist on many vehicles and for all driver sizes. Many of these blind spots can be countered by a change in posture of the driver. However, the most significant blind spot was found on Category N3 LGVs to the near-side of the vehicle. The research was also instrumental in a change to the EU Regulation 46 to remove the blind spot from future LGVs

The evolution of car power, weight and top speed during the last twenty years in Belgium: a consideration for future policies

Traffic is one of the main causes of the most serious environmental problems worldwide. Accidents, photochemical air pollution, climate change, air quality and noise levels are some of these factors. The challenge of today is how to reduce these negatives effects in the coming years. As “sustainable development” and “sustainable consumption” are getting more important or even becoming preconditions for a better environment, the tendencies within road traffic can be labeled as “unsustainable,” i.e. the number of vehicles is still rising and consumption of oil and contribution to CO2 emissions remain high. Kroon (1998) suggests that only a forced decline in the average fuel consumption per km of at least 50% between 1998 and 2010 will have an effect on reducing CO2 and other emissions. In the opinion of Kroon (1998) this was denoted as a feasible target if technical vehicle improvements were geared more towards fuel efficiency instead of upgrading power, performance and weight and if, at the same time, driver behavior could be guided towards fuel efficiency and away from speeding and strong acceleration. Within the last decade, it is still noted that the trend for more powerful engines and higher performance still exists and that the policy of car manufactures to counter the problem is scantily made. These powerful vehicles will also influence road safety and feelings of security and safety of other road users. Accidents and fatalities will increase when speed levels increase, but also the weight and size of vehicles can effect the security of drivers and other road users. For several years, the Institute of Sustainable Mobility conducts studies on the evolution of weight, engine power and speeds of the sold vehicles in Belgium. The first results of 2007 indicate that there is still an increase in power, weight and speed. In this paper the results and the problem of bigger cars will be described on different level

UNGKAPAN METAFORIS SEPAK BOLA DALAMIKLAN VOLKSWAGEN

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif-kualitatif dengan tujuan mendeskripsikan ungkapan metaforis sepak bola dalam iklan-iklan Volkswagen dan makna yang terdapat di dalamnya. Data diperoleh dari majalah 11 Freunde dan Der Spiegel menggunakan teknik simak dan catat, dengan berlandaskan pada Prosedur Identifikasi Metafora dari Pragglejaz dan klasifikasi metafora Wahab. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metafora yang ditemukan terdiri dari metafora nominatif, metafora kalimatif, dan metafora predikatif. Metafora-metafora tersebut menganalogikan keunggulan-keunggulan produk Volkswagen dengan keunggulan-keunggulan dalam sepak bola. Makna dari metafora-metafora tersebut bersifat persuasif sekaligus puitis, yaitu untuk mempengaruhi pembaca secara halus agar membeli produk Volkswagen yang diiklankan

The Division of competencies in corporate networks of the automobile industry: Are there development prospects for location and region?

The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework explaining the different options of corporate competency division and their regional effects in terms of peripheral acquisition of competencies. The framework is empirically based on an analysis of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles group which is the market leader in Western Europe within the segment of light commercial and leisure time vehicles. About 22,000 employees work at three production sites. The headquarters of the commercial vehicle group is located in Hanover, Germany, where 15,000 people are employed in administration and vehicle production. The three manufacturing plants in Germany, Poland (Poznan) and Brazil (Resende) produce more than 300,000 vehicles per year. Volkswagen Poznan was initially one of many extended work benches in transition countries. Meanwhile, the Volkswagen plant in Poland has been transformed to a competitive firm with more organizational responsibility and a higher degree of vertical integration. This paper argues that the traditional division of competencies in the automotive industry, with the localization of knowledge-intensive modules of the value chain in core regions and labour-intensive activities in semi-peripheral regions, has lost its universal validity. Instead, a new scope of variation becomes evident in the international allocation of corporate competencies. By means of FDI and local efforts, selected locations in Central Eastern Europe – among them Poland – have developed from extended work benches to matured and fully-integrated manufacturing plants and engineering centres. Due to the transmission and self-acquisition of corporate competencies, semi-peripheral locations can pass through different types of upgrading. Process, product and functional upgrading extend their room of manoeuvre, allowing them to map out more independently their local strategies for business development and plant organization. In addition, upgrading provides impulses for regional development through effects on employment, income as well as professional skills due to the increased demand of well-educated and trained people. In order to reduce product and logistical costs as well as external influences on the value chain, OEMs and tier-one-suppliers endeavour to build up local suppliers and service providers.Automobile Industry; Automotive Industry; networks; competences; upgrading; global value chains; international division of labour; multinational corporations; Volkswagen; commercial vehicles; regional development; economic geography; Poland; Germany; Central Eastern Europe;

La relazione tra Dimensioni e Costi: il caso del Downsizing nell'Automotive

Il presente lavoro si colloca nell’ambito degli studi che affrontano la tematica della relazione tra la riduzione delle dimensioni di prodotti e componenti e i relativi costi di produzione. Nello specifico, il fenomeno oggetto di studio è rappresentato dalle implicazioni della filosofia progettuale del downsizing nel settore automotive in termini di costi sostenuti dal produttore e di Total Cost of Ownership e creazione di valore nella prospettiva del cliente. Per introdurre l’argomento, il lavoro fornisce una sintesi delle condizioni di contesto che hanno portato alla diffusione della soluzione progettuale in esame e delle sue principali caratteristiche tecniche. Inoltre, poiché il downsizing è un’alternativa percorribile in fase di New Product Development, la trattazione si propone di individuare le principali iniziative manageriali adottabili nell’ambito di tale processo per migliorare il rapporto costi/valore dei prodotti in corso di sviluppo. Dal punto di vista metodologico, le indagini svolte hanno comportato la raccolta e l’analisi di dati pubblici relativi al prezzo di listino e alle caratteristiche prestazionali di 29 modelli di auto interessati dal downsizing. Sebbene le informazioni a disposizione non abbiano consentito di approfondire la relazione tra riduzione della cilindrata dei veicoli e relativi costi di produzione, gli output delle analisi di regressione multipla svolte sui dati raccolti, opportunamente rielaborati, hanno messo in evidenza l’esistenza di una relazione positiva tra downsizing e rapporto costi/valore dell’autovettura nella prospettiva del cliente

Desain Mobil MPV Tujuh Penumpang dengan Segmen Low Cost Green Car untuk Pasar Indonesia Tahun 2020

Hadirnya Segmen multi purpose vehicle (MPV) Low Cost Green Car (LCGC) dengan kapasitas tujuh penumpang menjadi fenomena yang sedang sangat berkembang di Indonesia. Adanya perpindahan segmen pasar dari kelas low MPV ke segmen mobil yang lebih murah memberikan peluang bagi produsen mobil di segmen tersebut. Angka penjualan Toyota Calya, salah satu produk MPV LCGC Toyota pada periode Januari-Juni 2017 sebanyak 40.595 unit menjadi bukti besarnya minat masyarakat terhadap mobil MPV LCGC. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah melakukan sejumlah wawancara dengan sumber ahli dan para target pengguna mobil di segmen tersebut. Studi desain yang dilakukan diantaranya memperlajari regulasi mobil LCGC, serta menganalisa perkembangan tren desain mobil yang sedang berkembang. Konsep mobil yang dihasilkan adalah “Reliably Exciting Family MPV”¸ yaitu konsep mobil small MPV yang mampu memenuhi kebutuhan user sebagai mobil keluarga serta memiliki aspek desain yang menarik dengan desain siluet yang lebih dinamis, desain fascia mobil yang expressive futuristic, penggunaan floating roof element sebagai penambah kesan advance, serta penerapan dual tone color treatment pada bagian atap mobil. ==================================================================== Low Cost Green Car (LCGC) with seven seater segmentation has become the phenomenon which has been growing so fast in Indonesia. There’s a downgrading movement from low MPV car consumer to LCGC MPV segment which create a new possibility for a car companies to participate in this new segment. As an example, Toyota’s Calya has been sold over 40.595 units between January and June 2017. This prooved that this segmentation received a very good responses from the market. The metodhs which being used to gather a reseach data was by doing deep interview with some expert sources in automotive industry and target consumer of this segment to figured out the development of car design industry and the main need while they using the car. The design studies which have been done was started by studying the regulation and spessification of the exsisting LCGC cars in the market and analyzing the trend movement in a car design. The concept that being propose was themed “Reliably Exciting Family MPV”, which is a concept of small MPV that not only can fulfill the targeted consumer needs as a family car but also has an exciting design characteristic with more dynamic silhouette, expressive and futuristic fascia, using of floating roof element as an addition to give more advance impression, and applying dual tone color treatment on the roof panel

Comparitive study of automation strategies at VW Germany and South Africa

This master thesis analyses the Volkswagen assembly lines of the Golf A5 manufacture in the mother plant in Wolfsburg, the Touran manufacture in the Auto 5000 GmbH in Wolfsburg as well as the Golf A5 manufacture in Uitenhage in South Africa - all with regard to the level of automation. The target of the analysis is the determination of the optimal level of automation in the three production sites and therefore, the investigation of the potential to automate, or rather to deautomate in particular sections of the assembly in the prevailing production locations. The three production sites are to be investigated with regard to costs, quality and quantity