Global viewpoints: Europe embraces the AT-factor
Alfa Romeo showcases technology in 147
When it comes to building cars of character, Alfa Romeo knows just what is needed. Despite all the constraints placed on it by drive-by noise legislation and emissions controls, the company—part of the Fiat Group—consistently manages to produce sporty engines that not only provide fine performance but sound the part, too. Similarly, Alfa's chassis design expertise means that its sedan, hatchback, and sports cars have handling qualities that distinguish them from many of their competitors. And all this technology is wrapped up in styling that is distinctive and modern, but which carries traditional brand cues—most notably the Alfa Romeo radiator grille.
Companies like Alfa face particular challenges in successfully combining the traditional and the modern, but Antony Sheriff, Executive Director of Product Development-Fiat Auto, which includes Alfa, is well aware of the need to get the balance right. "Ten or 15 years ago we would have said that the most important things for Alfa Romeo were engines and handling and that we would not need to pay too much attention to many others," he said. "Now we do. Today, to be an elite competitor in the automotive market—which is what we are—everything has to be very, very competent, and you also have to be more creative in thinking further to emphasize your brand qualities. So we use technology. For example, our new 147 has double wishbone front suspension, twin-spark engines, and the option of a Selespeed gearbox—the sort of things that deliver better handling and performance."
Although Alfas now contain more technology than could have been envisaged a few years ago, Sheriff sees this area continually growing and becoming more complex, but at the same time he believes that, overall, cars will become less complex. "For example, electric steering is a huge step forward," he said. "It is so much more sophisticated than a hydraulic system, yet it is more versatile, weighs less, and contributes to reducing fuel consumption. It can also be made light to operate at parking speeds and heavier for more feel at high speed. But all this can be done automatically, so although the system is more sophisticated, there is no added complexity for the customer."
Electronic stability control is another example of increased sophistication becoming less noticeable. Early versions could be intrusive in their operation, "but now we have a very advanced system that allows us to build in more functionality so the car acts as if it does not, in fact, have electronic stability because it has become so non-intrusive in its operation," said Sheriff. A customer will know that he or she is driving a very sporty car, "but may not know when the stability system is operating until it is absolutely necessary."
Sheriff is aware of the need to keep systems controlled by the driver as simple as possible. "We must not overload the driver with information because one thing that is not going to evolve is the human attention span and the capacity to absorb information and carry out tasks," he said.
The design of the new Connect GSM-linked telematics system—recently introduced on the Alfa Romeo 147 and to be offered across the Fiat range—features ease of driver interface. "It is just a matter of pressing a green button on the dashboard and talking," Sheriff said. "We must have more interfaces where the driver has to do little to carry out tasks." He regards voice control as a significant route to expanding this initiative. "But we need that to be flexible, too," he explained. "We can't have the customer trying to remember an entire dictionary of commands."
Sheriff sees the potential of telematics as being very broad. "If you have a problem with your car's engine and it is perhaps a symptom known to the manufacturer for which there is a solution, new software to cure the fault could be downloaded at the roadside at the press of a button," he said.
It is very important for a company like Alfa Romeo (and Lancia, another of Fiat's leading brands) to be a technology leader, in Sheriff's view. But despite its capability now to embrace a wide spectrum of advanced systems, chassis technology is at the top of his list. "We need to consider that in the future—say 2015 and beyond—the application of chassis electronics means that we could have a vehicle with a completely different layout to that of today. We will have brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire." Sheriff also sees the layout of the car becoming simpler, with possibly independent propulsion of each wheel and a shift in chassis technology from a mainly mechanical operation to an electronic function. Whole mechanical pieces of the car may disappear, and getting the dynamics of the vehicle correct will be "100% software-engineering-dependent."
While Alfa Romeo is accelerating its model launch program over the next five years, it is reducing the financial impact by developing new models off core platforms and by using modular construction. "Both will lower development costs," said Sheriff. "Also, we will utilize the capability of our suppliers and do fewer things ourselves. We give more responsibility to the supplier to present technologies that have been pre-developed to a certain degree. It means we don't invent things that aren't strategic; it is one of the reasons we now have cross-holdings with GM."
Fiat and GM have established GM-Fiat Purchasing and Fiat-GM Powertrain joint ventures. They encompass all the operations of GM in Europe and Latin America and the operations of Fiat Auto internationally. Said Sheriff, "So we used to buy maybe 10 million tires a year; now it's 20 million. We used to be a medium kid on the block; now we are the biggest." These economies of scale allied to the rationalization of "noncustomer-facing component sets with GM" will allow more money to be spent on what customers want. As for powertrain, developments have been many and rapid over the past five years, a trend that looks set to continue. "By sharing development with a partner, we can do twice as much with the same amount of money," Sheriff said.
Although powertrain research will focus on reducing fuel consumption and emissions, weight reduction is also a priority in helping to achieve those targets. Cars are putting on weight because of enhanced equipment and safety systems. They are also getting bigger, according to Sheriff. "It's a running battle to try to avoid cars becoming heavier as they get bigger," he said. "There is a huge amount of work to be done on body design, both to save weight and to enhance safety." He is cautious about the use of aluminum and does not believe that a spaceframe of that material is appropriate economically for a small car. Alfa is able to leverage future technologies from Fiat (and for powertrain from GM), and Sheriff underlines the importance of not pursuing improved fuel consumption and lower emissions targets just via weight saving. New materials for catalysts, active aerodynamics, and advanced powertrain technology could also make a contribution. Sheriff said Fiat is now working in confidence on one particular technology to meet the industry's needs. "But we do have to hit cost targets; we do not intend to sell cars at a loss," he said.
Fiat now uses the Internet to support its car sales programs, and Sheriff believes the company pioneered the use of the Internet to aid in car design. In 1996, as it started to develop a new Punto, Fiat asked consumers via the Internet what really annoyed them about their current car. "We had tens of thousands of responses," said Sheriff. "Our Dualdrive—with an extra light 'city' setting—came out of that market research." In "city" mode, power steering is made even easier.
With Alfa Romeo's heritage, it might be reasonable to assume that motor-sports technology and experience continues to feed across into production cars. "It does in some areas," Sheriff said. "Ferrari comes under the Fiat umbrella, and our Selespeed robotized manual gearbox came directly from Ferrari's Formula 1 program." Competition cars use very advanced technologies in extremely limited volumes, according to Sheriff; his interest is in seeing "what might be applicable on a larger scale in the long term."
Most senior automotive executives have a particular worry about the future, but Sheriff's is one that, he believes, benefits the company. "It is that someone might develop a car or technology more impressive than we had foreseen," he said, "but that kind of worry just makes us design, develop, and manufacture better products."
