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, Wed, 12 Oct 2005 20:11:40
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OK. Very enlightening, thanks. Also thanks to Rich S for pointing to that previous thread.
I'm still not 100% sure what a platform as a physical entity entails, or what the benefits are in terms of engineering or manufacturing.
In the case of Saab and Chevy, they're clearly not made in the same plants, and I doubt whether metal body parts are produced with a single set of dies in the US, and then shipped to Sweden. It would seem more economic to have an extra set of dies in Sweden and stamp the parts locally.
Remains the only benefit of sharing overall design elements, thus reducing engineering cost. Well, I'm not an automotive engineer (there I go again), but I have difficulty seeing how engineering the floorplan of a car is anything more than drawing a box around the amount of interior space you need and putting the wheels somewhere on the corners. I'm oversimplifying, of course - I realize that this floorplan determines the stability, ride, handling etc, but I don't see how this part of the design can be done independently from the overall design, including such aspects as suspension, steering, weight distribution/center of gravity, body shape, etc. Especially when you share a platform between a sportscar and an SUV, as in the Nissan case.
What I was also getting at with this discussion, if GM sells of Saab, as suggested on this BB, will Saab lose access to the GM platforms? Will they have to redesign their cars, or pay licensing fees to GM for using the platforms?
By the way, and I think we're all on the same page on that aspect, I am clear that badge engineering is something totally different from platform sharing. To me, badge engineering is as much as crashing a car of make X into a wall, and then giving it to a make Y bodyshop without the original drawings.
Leo
posted by 199.197.1...
, Wed, 12 Oct 2005 20:11:40
, Thu, 13 Oct 2005 12:17:10
, Wed, 12 Oct 2005 11:28:35, Wed, 12 Oct 2005 09:55:54
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