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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.

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.

Aerodynamic evaluation plays an important role in the new vehicle development process to meet the ever increasing demand of Fuel Economy (FE), superior aero acoustics and thermal performance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is extensively used to evaluate the performance of the vehicle at early design stage to overcome cost of proto-parts, late design changes and for time line adherence. CFD is extensively used to optimize the vehicle’s shape, profiles and design features starting from the concept stage to improve the vehicle’s aerodynamic performance. Since the shape of the vehicle determines the flow behavior around it, the performance is different for hatchback, notchback and SUV type of vehicles. In a hatchback vehicle, the roof line is abruptly truncated at the end, which causes flow separation and increase in drag.

Recent automotive trend shows that customer demand is moving towards bigger size vehicle with more comfort, space, safety, feature and technology. Global market of SUV is projected to surpass 21 million units by 2020. Despite economic slowdown and weak new car sales worldwide, India and China will continue to be primary market for SUV due to sheer size of population, urban expanding middle class and larger untapped rural market. However, stricter emission norms push for clean and green technology and unfavorable policy towards use of diesel vehicle has made the SUV design very challenging due to conflicting needs. Due to bigger size of vehicle, aerodynamic design plays an important role in achieving emission targets and higher fuel efficiency. This paper highlights the aerodynamic development of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, which is an entry level SUV vehicle with high ground clearance of 198 mm and best in class fuel economy of 24.3 kmpl.

A general automotive car is majorly composed of high strength steel (6%), other steel (50%), Iron (15%), Plastics (7%), Aluminum (4%) and others (Rubber, Glass, Textile) about 18%. End-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are a significant source of waste and pollution in the automotive industry. Recycling ELVs, particularly their plastic components, Li-ion batteries, catalytic converters, and critical technology components such as alternators, semi-conductor chips, and high tensile strength steel can reduce their environmental impact and conserve valuable raw materials. The paper conducts a SWOT analysis and a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the long-term viability and potential of ELV recycling, environmental impact, and carbon footprint.

With strict upcoming regulation norms, it becomes a challenging task for automotive industry to develop highly efficient engine that meets all the regulation requirements. The focus of automakers is to utilize fuel energy in most efficient way and to reduce the energy loss from the engine to improve thermal efficiency. Heat loss to the cooling medium is one of the prime losses inside the combustion chamber. Thermal barrier coating is used to reduce heat losses across combustion chamber surfaces (Piston, head, valves and cylinder liner) as it provides good insulation because of the prominent properties of coating materials like low thermal conductivity, low heat capacity, high melting point etc. This paper presents application and impact of thermal swing coating on thermal efficiency. Thermal swing coating material follows gas temperature quickly throughout the cycle which reduces the temperature difference between gas and coating surface and thus reduces the heat loss.

To sustain market leadership position one has to continuously improve their product and services so that on one hand customer expectations are met and on the other hand business profitability is maintained. Value engineering is one of the approach through which we can achieve these two objectives simultaneously. Enhancing the value of running products is always a challenge as there is limited scope and flexibility to modify the current design and processes. Value engineering approach, integrated in product development cycle, brings great opportunity to upgrade the new and running products. This study reveals approach to upgrade the base engine of Maruti Alto. Upgraded engine is used in Alto 800 vehicle launched in October 2012. Improvement points were studied based on the business requirement, market competition, and legislative requirements. Based on functional improvement points, all the design parameters were studied and finalized.

Vehicles in India will soon come with star ratings, signifying how environment-friendly they are. The OEM's have braced to improve fuel economy of their existing & upcoming models. Tyre rolling resistance is one of the significant factors for vehicle fuel consumption. Improvement in Fuel consumption is always a prime focus area & to improve it all major factors are considered. In newly launched models, the low rolling resistance tyre development was initiated. The project is challenging as it requires not only achieving low rolling resistance in smaller size tyres (12″ to 13″) but also required to meet other critical vehicle performance parameters like ride, handling, NVH & durability. Effects of Tyre construction, rubber compound were analyzed to achieve lower rolling resistance and better durability of tyre. In addition, the factors affecting the rolling resistance of tyre like inflation pressure, load, and speed in smaller tyre sizes (12″ to 13″) are discussed in this paper.

Road/Tire noise is an important product quality criterion for passenger cars which are driving customers to decide upon the selection of a vehicle. Reduced engine noise and improvement in road conditions has resulted into more road/tire noise problem as average vehicle speed has gone up. Excitations from road surface travelling through the tire/suspension to vehicle body (structure-borne path) and air-pumping noise caused by tread patterns (air-borne paths) are the main contributor to tire noise issue inside the vehicle cabin [1]. A lot of emphasis is put on the component level design as well as its compliance with vehicle structure to reduce the cabin noise. The objective of this work is to establish a methodology for evaluating structure-borne road/tire noise by evaluating the tire structural behavior and its interface with the vehicle body and its suspension system and identifying the contributing critical paths.

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.

Automobile Catalyst are used to convert Harmful gases emitted by vehicle (CO, HC, and NOx) to less Harmful gas (CO2, H2O and N2), Catalyst Loading comprises of Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium (Rare earth metals) metal powders combined in slurry and wash-coated onto a ceramic brick. Ever since the introduction of BS6 Emissions norm (stricter emission regulation), Catalyst loading content has increased in all vehicles. The Price of these rare earth metal are increasing day by day. Typically, a BS6 regulation catalyst contains a few grams of loading content. In some vehicles there are more than one catalyst (due to regulation requirement) and in some cases catalysts are also located in the underbody, in such cases, Number and location of catalyst makes the vehicle an easy target for thieves. Recently local police authorities around the country have captured many catalysts theft gangs.

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.

Manual transmissions dominate the Indian market for their obvious benefit of low cost and higher mechanical efficiency resulting in higher fuel economy. Synchronizer system in manual transmission enables smoother and quieter gear shifting. Synchronizer ring is the key element which provides the necessary frictional torque to synchronize the speed of gear and sleeve for smooth shifting. During vehicle running, synchronizer rings are free to rattle inside the indexing clearance. High engine torsional excitation and low clutch dampening can result into increased fluctuation of the input shaft of transmission. High fluctuation or lower contact area of synchronizer ring can lead to damage on the index area. This damage may cause hard gear shifting and gear shift blockage in case of extreme damage.

Electrostatic charge generation in fabric is a common phenomenon. This phenomenon of charge generation & transfer of the same to human body is more in case of fabrics made of polyester yarns due to interface property of the material. The charge generation may result in attraction of dust on the fabric surface, clinginess & may also result in uncomfortable shock to the human body. This situation is attributed to various parameters such as fabric construction, yarn properties, yarn finish & various coating on the yarn. Since, polyester fabric is prime material used in seating; there have been many incidences of rubbing of seat fabric to human body, resulting in generation of static charge. This study focuses on understanding the effect of various fabric parameters on electrostatic charge generation. The study will also look into various potential solutions to reduce the charge generation with their merits and demerits.

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.

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.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Controls Development is an important aspect to realize the goals of Powertrain Electrification i.e. fuel economy and emission improvement. Keeping that in mind, development engineers need to formulate numerous control strategies. Once the control strategy is evaluated and frozen, it typically does not change from one vehicle model application to another. However, it may happen that Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufacturer may change depending on the sourcing strategy. Therefore, in order to maintain uniformity, it may be required to compare control strategy of a finished ECU product frozen for one model application to be compared with new ECU sourced through another manufacturer. This paper discusses a methodology to compare control strategy of two ECU’s sourced from different ECU manufacturers with identical control requirements.

In order to meet the challenges of future CAFE regulations & pollutant emission, vehicle fuel efficiency must be improved upon without compromising vehicle performance. Optimization of engine breathing & its impact on vehicle level fuel economy, performance needs balance between conflicting requirements of vehicle Fuel Economy, performance & drivability. In this study a Port Fuel Injection, naturally aspirated small passenger car gasoline engine was selected which was being used in a typical small passenger car. Simulation approach was used to investigate vehicle fuel economy and performance, where-in 1D CFD Engine model was used to investigate and optimize Valve train events (Intake and exhaust valve open and close timings) for best fuel economy. Engine Simulation software is physics based and uses a phenomenological approach 0-D turbulent combustion model to calculate engine performance parameters. Engine simulation model was calibrated within 95% accuracy of test data.

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.

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.