Automotive News Europe - January 19, 2009 - 12

PAGE 12 · www.autonewseurope.com January 19, 2009 C3 Picasso developed in a ‘cave’ Time, money saved by using 3-D design to create new small minivan variant Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe PARIS Citroen’s new C3 Picasso small minivan is the first model developed from start to finish in the company’s so-called “virtual reality cave.” Experts say carmakers are increasingly using three-dimensional design systems like the cave to save time and money throughout the product development and pre-production processes. “It is very hard to put an exact amount on the cost savings, but caves are definitely broadening the experimentation stage and allowing for a much wider number of design proposals to be created in a shorter period of time,” design strategy consultant Sam Livingstone said. “They also enable a variety of different detail design alternatives, materials and colors to be realized literally at the touch of a button during design critiques.” PSA’s virtual reality center opened in late-2004, just as work was starting on the C3 Picasso project. Having access to a cave allowed designers and engineers to test their ideas on life-sized, 3-D versions of the car without producing expensive physical models. For example, project managers tried 14 different instrument panels in the cave before settling on the version put into a physical model. PSA Vehicle Conception Manager Didier Lecoeur said the simulations look just like they would in the real world. “And the time difference for making changes is simply incomparable,” Lecoeur told Automotive News Europe. “What used to be measured in weeks is now a question of hours, and Project managers drive the virtual prototype of the Citroen C3 Picasso through a computer-created version of Paris to see how it compares with other cars. as everyone knows, time is money.” Lecoeur declined to say exactly how much money PSA saves by using the cave, compared with the old way of designing a car. However, systematic use of virtual reality simulations is expected to reduce the average number of physical models built during new car projects from six to eight to just one or two from now on, said Olivier Petit, who headed the C3 Picasso vehicle architecture engineering team. The small virtual reality center is an increasingly important zone inside parent PSA/Peugeot-Citroen’s high-security design headquarters outside Paris, where digital design is now the norm. In the C3 Picasso project, codenamed A-58, the cave played a key role in plans to design a small minivan on the platform used by Peugeot’s top-selling small 207 hatchback. How it works The brief facing project managers called for “optimization of the 207 architecture,” for use on a minivan that would be “big inside and small outside,” said PSA Vehicle Conception Manager Lecoeur. The C3 Picasso will compete with the Nissan Note, Ford Fusion, Renault Modus and sector-leading Opel Meriva (See story, left). Therefore, designers were instructed to match key minivan attributes, such as roominess or visibility, with specific design elements, like seat positioning or the exact view from the panoramic windshield, Lecoeur said during a visit to PSA’s design center. Digital designs were regularly sent to the virtual reality studio, where a staff of 10 to 15 technicians created Citroen targets Opel, Renault minivan rivals with C3 Picasso PARIS When it launches across Europe starting in March, Citroen’s new C3 Picasso is expected to increase the competition in Europe’s small minivan sector. The quirky, boxy French challenger is slightly larger than its principal competitors – Opel’s Meriva and Renault’s Modus – and distinguishes itself by offering more room for both driver and passengers as well as a much larger luggage area. Citroen thinks the size and equipment advantages will justify pricing that is slightly above its primary rivals. The entry-level gasoline-powered C3 Picasso will start at ¤14,950 in France, which is ¤160 more than the High-tech goggles are used to view the 3-D images beamed on to panoramic screens. 3-D mock-ups for testing in the cave. During the testing process, project members use high-tech goggles to view the 3-D images beamed by five high-resolution projectors onto the cave’s five panoramic screens. Users have the impression they are actually sitting inside the car, giving them the ability to better judge how a door, a window or a clear glass roof will actually look in the car. At the same time, other members of the project team can follow their line of vision – or “see what they see” – on large projection screens behind the cave. “What we learn from these simulations can convince us to change where a seat goes or the position of the sun visor. We see an evolution of choices from testing in the cave,” said C3 Picasso vehicle architecture engineering Petit. The virtual reality cave is not only used for analyzing static styling questions. Project managers can “drive” the virtual prototype through a computer-created version of Paris, to get a more dynamic idea of how it compares when passing other cars. They can also put the car on a virtual assembly line, to test the feasibility of ideas – often with suppliers and production engineers present – in an industrial environment. Said Petit: “We need to know if our ideas will work in the factory.” ANE The C3 Picasso goes on sale in March. comparable Meriva and ¤900 more than the similar Modus. The C3 Picasso’s diesel models will range from ¤16,950 to ¤22,250, compared with ¤16,390 to ¤21,150 for the Meriva and ¤15,750 to ¤19,350 for the Modus. Lawrence J. Speer “What we learn from these simulations can convince us to change where a seat goes or the position of the sun visor.” Olivier Petit, head of the C3 Picasso architecture engineering team New car online research, purchase is rising Hurtej Kaur Automotive News Europe MUNICH Automakers need to make better use of the Internet to draw in new customers and build relationships, an advertising association director says. “In times like now that are difficult for the car market, the Internet can help carmakers find people who are looking for a car. It can also help businesses stay in contact with them and build relationships and keep them as customers in the future,” said Alison Fennah, executive director of the European Interactive Advertising Association. Fennah made the comments here after presenting the results of a study called Mediascope Europe 2008. The results of the study showed that last year 61 percent of Norwegians who used the Internet to research a car also bought it online. That is up from 41 percent in 2007. In France and Italy, the result last year was 20 percent. In 2007, it was 18 percent for France and 11 percent for Italy. (See chart) “Researching online and buying online is growing,” said Fennah. “[But] some people will always want to research online and buy offline if it’s an expensive item – especially if it’s a car.” Further explaining the differences between the 10 countries, Fennah said that Italians, for example, are less likely than Norwegians to use their credit cards to make a purchase. Survey organizers spoke with 9,000 people – 1,000 each in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain and 500 each in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the current economic downturn, which has led automakers in Europe and the US to seek financial help from governments, Fennah said businesses need to take customers through the purchase cycle. She said: “They need to be led through the process of finding out about the car and retaining them at the end and getting them involved in customer loyalty programs. It’s more cost-effective to keep in touch with ANE customers online.” Click and drive Percentage of people who researched and bought a car online in 2008 vs. 2007 Norway Sweden Denmark Germany Netherlands Great Britain Belgium Spain France Italy 61 59 57 39 37 32 30 23 20 20 41 48 37 38 34 30 29 23 18 11 Source: European Interactive Advertising Association

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