Perceived quality framework in product generation engineering: an automotive industry example

Abstract

Perceived quality refers to customers’ cognitive and emotional responses to a particular design, often also associated with craftsmanship and customer satisfaction. Previous research defined a taxonomy of perceived quality and provided understanding about how engineering design decisions impact customer satisfaction. Furthermore, development of new products is frequently based on carrying over attributes of existing products, either from the same producer or from competitors. Previous research offered a new product development methodology combining variations of subsystems to carry over from existing products. This brief presents how these two lines of research combined to design the central console of the Porsche Panamera automobile and discusses the opportunities and challenges posed in the practical implementation of this research.

Perceived quality: in search of a definition

“…, PQ is often seen as nonquantifiable and imaginary (sic.!) , an entity that is antagonistic to “real” quality (Stylidis et al. , 2019).…”

“…as applied to car design and manufacture (Stylidis, 2019; Stylidis et al. , 2015a, b, c, 2019; Braun et al. , 2020; Falk et al.…”

“…According to Stylidis et al, PQ is often seen as nonquantifiable and imaginary (sic.! ), an entity that is antagonistic to "real" quality (Stylidis et al, 2019). Some scholars believe that "real" or "actual" quality is to be found in so-called "manufacturing quality" or "technical quality", at least in the physical product domain.…”

On the Development of a Surrogate Modelling Toolbox for Virtual Assembly

“…The assembly's geometrical quality comprises all quality features that directly or indirectly depend on the geometry of the assembly. This might include perceived quality such as the body-in-white clearance gap width [70] or to predict functional requirements such as a tight fit of a sealing. Assembly quality prediction (or geometrical propagation) is a crucial step for tolerance management.…”

Data-informed design in the automotive industry: customer acceptance study in Sweden and China on radical car design

“…This tripartite approach facilitates a comprehensive development process that can yield a product that is both recognizably rooted in its lineage and distinctly evolved to offer new value propositions to the customer. The PGE being targeting engineering and system engineering departments can be successfully adapted for use by car designers (Stylidis, Bursac, Heitger, Wickman, Albers & Söderberg, 2019). In this study PGE alongside with TAM form the theoretical foundation of Customer Acceptance Index studies.…”