The future of new electronic systems application in the automobile is extremely promising. New systems such as mobile multi-media, control-by-wire systems, advanced safety interiors, and collision avoidance coupled with smart sensors and actuators, in a potentially new integrated vehicle wiring system, means significantly more electronic content in the automobile of the future. The challenge of the automotive electronics industry is to develop a vision of these future products, and then follow a defining process to develop the technologies necessary to offer timely, reliable, and cost effective products to the automotive consumer. This paper presents a methodology by which global market trends, market considerations, and engineering developments are combined to create a product vision. This vision is used to generate technology roadmaps that spawn technology development projects. Technology projects in turn help to create product strategies that result in new marketable products. Delphi Automotive Systems vision of "Next Century Winners", which are stimulating new product development and technology projects that enabled new produce developments, are examined in this paper. (A)
Abstract