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As per the 2018 MoRTH accident report, there were 467,044 accidents, out of which 137,726 were fatal which resulted in 151,417 fatalities. In order to get an idea of the reasons for injuries and estimate the benefits of any intervention, a mathematical model should go a long way. This study is aimed at the development of such a model to predict the injuries sustained by the occupants of an M1 vehicle. We used a detailed accident database of 'Road Accident Sampling System India' (RASSI). RASSI, since 2011, has been collecting traffic accident data scientific across various locations in India. In the data, the occupant injuries are classified as No injury, Minor, Serious and Fatal We used the data of about 4700+ M1 occupants for the study & used almost 40 input parameters to determine the outcome. Based on the data, an algorithm was developed with an overall accuracy of about 67%. The parameters represented human, infrastructure, and environment.

In a Passive suspension, a shock absorber generates damping force by pressurizing the oil flow between chambers. Typically, vehicle responds with suspension deflection, which significantly depends on damping forces and suspension velocity. Tuning dampers for various roads and steering input is an iterative balancing process. In any setting, damping force w.r.t velocity is tuned for optimum ride and handling performance. Practically, to achieve a balance between the two is a tedious task as the choices & arrangements of inner parts like piston, port, valve etc., which defines the forces set up [soft / hard] are almost infinite. The objective of this paper is to measure, objectify and evaluate the performance of two such optimum setting in various ride and handling events. A passenger car set up with an optimum soft & hard suspension damping force is studied for various ride and handling sub-attributes and their conflicts are examined in detail from a performance point of view:

The most widely used type of windshield wiper system employs a coil spring for wiper arm pressure generation. This spring is fixed between the arm head (fixed part) and wiper arm (moving part) and the tension in the spring is responsible for pressure generation. The present arrangement although being unsophisticated design, has following drawbacks: Inability to change wiper arm pressure according to change in vehicle speed. Inability to provide constant arm pressure during the complete range of motion along varying curvature of windshield. Inability to reduce/remove the continuous pressure on wiper blade when vehicle is parked for long durations resulting in permanent deformation of wiper blade rubber. This paper describes how electromagnets can be used to overcome the above stated inherent limitations of the windshield wiper system. An electromagnet is a device which produces magnetic field on application of electric current.

Vehicle cabin comfort emphasizes a specific image of a brand and its product quality. Low frequency powertrain induced noise and vibration levels are a major contributor affecting comfort inside passenger cabin. Thus, using hydraulic mount is a natural choice. Introduction of lighter body panels coupled with cost effective hydraulic mounts has resulted in some additional noises on rough road surfaces which are challenging to identify during design phase. This paper presents a novel approach to identify two such noises i.e. Cavitation noise and Mount membrane hitting noise based on component level testing which are validated at vehicle experimentally. These noises are encountered at 20~30kmph on undulated road surfaces. Sound quality aspect of such noises is also studied to evaluate the solution effectiveness.

In the modern automobile scenario in developing countries, customers are getting more meticulous and market more competitive. Now even the budget vehicle customer expects desirable vehicle performance in specific use cases of the vehicle that were previously not focused by designers. Hence, the focus on perceived quality challenges automobile engineers to go the extra mile when it comes to the cost-effective design of parts that are tangible to the customer. A vehicle's cowl cover is one such exterior component. The primary functions of this part are to provide air intake opening for the HVAC system and cover the components like wiper motor. The aesthetic function is to cover the gaps between windshield, hood, and fender as seamlessly as possible. A specific role of cowl cover, which calls for a designer's attention, is its load-bearing capability.

Automobile industry is shifting its focus from conventional fuel vehicles to NexGen vehicles. The NexGen vehicles have electrical components to propel the vehicle apart from mechanical system. These vehicles have a goal of achieving better fuel efficiency along with reduced emissions making it customer as well as environment friendly. Idle start-stop is a key feature of NexGen vehicles, where, the Engine ECU switches to engine stop mode while idling to cut the fuel consumption and increase fuel efficiency. Engine restarts when there is an input from driver to run the vehicle. There is always a clash between the Engine ECU and automatic climate control unit (Auto-AC) either to enter idle stop mode for better fuel efficiency or inhibit idle stop mode to keep the compressor running for driver comfort. This clash can be resolved in two ways: 1 Hardware change and, 2 Software change Hardware change leads to increase in cost, validation effort and time.

Vehicle Hood being the face of a passenger car poses the challenge to meet the regulatory and aesthetic requirements. Urge to make a saleable product makes aesthetics a primary condition. This eventually makes the role of structure optimization much more important. Pedestrian protection- a recent development in the Indian automotive industry, known for dynamics of cost competitive cars, has posed the challenge to make passenger cars meeting the regulation at minimal cost. The paper demonstrates structure optimization of hood and design of peripheral parts for meeting pedestrian protection performance keeping the focus on low cost of ownership. The paper discusses development of an in-house methodology for meeting Headform compliance of a flagship model of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., providing detailed analysis of the procedure followed from introduction stage of regulatory requirement in the project to final validation of the engineering intent.

Powertrain Control development has gone through many changes in terms of process, tools and practice at all OEM's across the geography. This is mainly driven by increased number of powertrain components for control, shorter development schedules, cost control, and the need to realize the potential of electronic control to increase the performance, efficiency, safety and comfort. With the significant advancement in Powertrain Controls and additions of electronic functions, it has become imperative to automate the controller development process in the V-cycle to reduce the time and make the process more efficient while detecting any logic failures upfront at the early stage of the development cycle. Traditional practices and tools of defining the controls cannot meet new requirements. Model Based Design (MBD) approach is a promising solution to meet the critical needs of powertrain control engineering to define the control logic and validate.

Vehicles which are sold and put into service in a country have to meet the regulations and standards of that country. Every country has a separate regulation and approval procedure which requires expensive design modifications, additional tests and duplicating approvals. Thus, there is the need to harmonize the different national technical requirements for vehicles and form a unique international regulation. With this rationale, the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE/WP29) has brought governments and automobile manufacturers together to work on a new harmonized test cycle and procedure which is to be adopted around the world. This lead to the development of Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Test Procedures (WLTP) and Cycles (WLTC). The test procedure is divided into 3 cycles, depending on a power to mass ratio of the tested vehicle.

Government’s focus on road safety requirements is resulting in faster adoption of stringent automobile safety regulations in India. In addition, due to changing customer preference, automobile companies are also working to provide safer vehicles in the market. Due to the complexity and high cost of the vehicle safety testing, more focus is given to development of CAE simulation technologies to validate the design for meeting regulatory norms, reducing design cycle time and number of physical tests. Safety requirement in vehicle safety regulations is to minimize the impact transfer to the occupants in case of vehicle crash. During vehicle crash condition, there is possibility that driver head may hit the gear shift lever assembly (GSLA) knob as it falls in the hitting area with respect to driver seat reference point (SRP). There is a regulatory requirement for the maximum acceleration level that is to be experienced by the driver during impact to prevent serious head injury.

Shorter product development cycles, densely packed engine compartments and intensified noise legislation has increased the need for accurate predictions of passenger cars Exhaust system noise at early design stages. The urgent focus on the increasing CO2 emissions and the efficiency of IC-engines as well as upcoming technologies might adversely affect the noise emission from an exhaust system, so it is becoming increasingly important to evaluate the sub system level noise emissions in an early design stage in order to predict and optimize the exhaust system performance. Engine performance and vehicle NVH characteristics are two important parameters on which the design of the exhaust system has major influence. The reduction of exhaust noise is a very important factor in controlling the exterior and interior noise levels of vehicles, particularly to reach future target values of the pass-by noise and sound engineering for the vehicle.

The interface between human body and automotive seat contours is seat upholstery. Seating comfort has a functional correlation to the upholstery. Two seats having different upholstery will give different comfort perception. Even an ergonomically designed seat if fitted with poor quality fabric will subdue the seat comfort drastically. The effect of fabric comfort ranges from initial short term to long term comfort, driven by properties like wick-ability and factors like thermal stress. Beyond material characteristics, fabric fit also plays an important role. This paper analyses the effect of fabric parameters and construction on automotive seat comfort. A comprehensive comparative study is followed by systematic analysis and comfort improvement scope through upholstery. The research is to conclude potential of the seat fabric in enhancing the automotive seating comfort within stipulated constraints of fabric properties and cost.

Due to intense peak summer temperatures and sunny summers in tropical countries like India etc., achieving the required thermal comfort of car occupants without compromising on fuel efficiency is becoming increasingly challenging. The major source of heat load on vehicle is Solar Load. Therefore, a study has been conducted to evaluate the heat load on vehicle cabin due to solar radiations and its impact on vehicle air-conditioning system performance with various combinations of door glasses and windscreen. The glasses used for this study are classified as green, dark green, dark gray, standard PVB (Polyvinyl Butyral) windscreen and PVB windscreen having infrared cut particles. For each glass, part level evaluation was done to find out the percentage transmittance of light of different wavelengths and heat flux through each glass.

Risk of injury to occupant in the event of side impact is considerably higher compared to frontal or rear impact as the energy absorbing zones at the front and rear of vehicle is high whereas limited space is available to dissipate the impact energy in the event of side impact. In such scenario strength of side door plays an important role in protecting the occupant. Side door beam in door structure contributes significantly towards the lateral stiffness and plays dominant role in limiting the structural intrusion into passenger compartment. Hence it is interesting to understand the effect of beam specification and orientation on side door strength. Since these factors not only affect the strength but also the cost and weight targets, their study and analysis is important with respect to door design This paper showcases the effect of beam layout and its specifications on the overall strength of the door with an experimental approach using physical test.

India is a country of diversity. From North to South, east to west, one can find altogether different culture, religions, spoken languages, foods, weather conditions, people lifestyles, dressing styles etc. This vast diversity of India poses a great challenge in front of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, so as to assimilate all the requirements (of this big nation) in one single car (design). For example, many people in India wear turban (out of their religious beliefs or cultural heritage). So, is it required to keep enough consideration for Turban wearing population in vehicle design? Turban, unlike caps or hats, is something which is tied on the head (not just only kept). It is something which cannot be removed whenever required. So, it can somehow be considered as an integral part of body (as an added head dimension). So, it becomes all the more important to thoroughly understand this aspect & keep a consideration for the same in vehicle design.

Three-cylinder Engine without balancer shaft is a recent trend towards development of lightweight and fuel-efficient powertrain for passenger car. In addition, customer's expectation of superior NVH inside vehicle cabin is increasing day by day. Engine mounts address majority of the NVH issues related to transfer of vibration from engine to passenger cabin. Idle vibration isolation for a three-cylinder engine is a challenging task due to possibility of overlapping of Powertrain's rigid body modes with engine's firing frequency. This Overlapping of rigid body can be avoided either by modifying mount characteristic or by changing the position of mounts based on multi-body-dynamics (MBD) simulation. This paper explains about two types of engine mounting system for a front-wheel drive transversely mounted three-cylinder engine. The base vehicle was having three-point mounting system i.e. all three engine mounts were pre-loaded.

Nowadays, Road Load Simulators are used by automobile companies to reproduce the accurate and multi axial stresses in test parts to simulate the real loading conditions. The road conditions are simulated in lab by measuring the customer usage data by sensors like Wheel Force transducers, accelerometers, displacement sensors and strain gauges on the vehicle body and suspension parts. The acquired data is simulated in lab condition by generating ‘drive file’ using the response of the above mentioned sensors. Due to non- linear nature of the vehicle parts, transmissibility of load is a complex phenomenon. Due to this complex transmissibility, good simulation at wheel center does not always ensure good correlation at all vehicle locations. The low level of correlation is common at the locations like engine mount, horn bracket and other overhanging brackets which are away from the wheel center.

As we transition towards Internet of Things (IoT) - humans are connected to each other & outside world through the smartphone. Customers tend to use smartphones for varied purposes ranging from communication to entertainment. However, the concern of distraction exists due to poor visibility & accessibility of the phone’s screen in driving condition. One of the repercussion of being connected to smartphone particularly in driving condition includes higher number of road accidents due to distraction. This paper explains one of the key initiatives taken by Maruti Suzuki India Limited to address the same.

Automotive industry today faces the unprecedented challenges both in terms of adapting to changing customer demands in terms of vehicle aesthetics, features or performance as well as meeting the mandatory regulatory requirements, which are being regularly upgraded and becoming stringent day by day. Vehicle hood, being part of vehicle front fascia, needs to fulfill the requirement of vehicle aesthetics as its primary condition. At the same time, every automobile manufacturer has a lineup of older platforms, which are in production and needs to comply with upcoming stricter safety norms, having a structure in under hood area designed as per older philosophy, which further reduces the space available for energy absorption. This makes the structure optimization in vehicle hood area much more challenging. Pedestrian protection - an upcoming regulation in India, has seen some major development in recent times.

Riding comfort for automobile seating can be classified into two categories, long time riding comfort and short term riding comfort. The attributes that govern the riding comfort includes static spring constant and energy lost due to hysteresis. The emerging trend towards long term riding comfort could be governed by the above mentioned factors. The hysteresis loss characteristic is related to Poly-Urethane (PU) properties used extensively in automotive seating application. The nature with which the energy is released considering the same material and varying the hardness directly contributes to the comfort analysis for automobile seating and vice versa. Two curves can define the same area but the loading and unloading trend for the two cases could be different and so be the riding comfort. A conclusion would be drawn by obtaining hysteresis loss rate by changing the different parameters (hardness, density). One parameter would be varied by keeping the others constant.