UNKNOWN

This Special Issue presents the current state of research activities concerning vehicle design processes. The design of vehicles is one of the most challenging tasks in engineering for several reasons. For example, high consumer expectations as well as intensive global competition impact vehicle design. Recent dramatic changes have influenced vehicle design, primarily due to the transition to electric drive systems and new vehicle application scenarios, especially in the Asian market. Cost-driven design is a necessity, and vehicles need to be economical in their production, operation, and recycling; in fact, sustainable design is also imperative for eco-friendly vehicles . The dynamics of vehicles must be considered in the design of all components, and lightweight design is of fundamental importance. Consumers expect strong functional performance, high product quality, an attractive appearance, high reliability, and interconnected functionality, as well as comprehensible and appealing user interfaces. More and more additional services are being integrated into vehicles. The strict requirements lead to the complex multi-domain design processes of vehicles, since most of the significant decisions are made in the design phase. Production optimization and intelligent operation are also important, but flaws and insufficiencies in the design stage lead to enormous expenditures in later stages and less-than-perfect products. The design processes of vehicles involve thousands of engineers spread across the globe who need to consider multiple product versions and variants, as well as multi-company product platforms.