Safety, energy conservation drive automotive advances

Although vehicle safety and alternative drive systems carry increased weight, cost is still preeminent on the minds of automotive engineers and designers according to a study during the recent SAE World Congress (April 3-6, Detroit, MI). A joint effort of DuPont Automotive and the Society of Automotive Engineers, the 12th version of the survey, which was conducted by Automotive Consulting Group (Ann Arbor, MI) found that 24% of the engineers surveyed believed the greatest challenge facing the automotive industry is cost, followed by alternate powertrain technologies (18%), and vehicle safety 13%.

Vehicle safety has remained relatively steady in its survey rankings according to DuPont, but concerns over alternate powertrains, especially as hybrids gain in popularity, have climbed from 12% in 2004 to 18% in 2006. At the same time, although it is still the chief concern, cost worries have actually dropped consistently, falling from 44% in 2003 to 24% this year, displaying the how automotive designers and engineers are now resigned to the fact that costs must be continually lowered.

When asked which strategy would best strengthen the automotive industry, globalizing the supply base generated the most response, 16%, up from only 7% when that option was introduced to the survey in 2004.

When asked to gauge consumers'' interests, nearly half of survey respondents said that safety is very important and consumers are willing to pay for it, with fuel-efficient/environmentally friendly vehicles judged as very important by 40%, and styling coming in at 39%.

In terms of passenger safety, DuPont sees a move from passive safety systems to active, electronic safety systems, including radar and electronics stability control for crash avoidance. Going forward, 35% of the engineers polled believed that alternatively powered vehicles would have the greatest impact on the industry over the next five to 10 years.

The engineers focus on future engine and powertrain development shows that shift, with gasoline falling from 55% in 2004''s survey to 28% in 2006, while hybrid electric rose from 30% to 40% and fuel cells rose 13% to 20% in the same time frame.-Tony Deligio; [email protected]