Development of an innovative Compact SUV prototype using the “Industrial Design Structure” method

Project Russell is a case study on the application of the structured design method, Industrial Design Structure (IDeS), for the creation of a new innovative market proposal for SUVs. IDeS is an engineering approach for designing and developing industrial design projects and finds a particular application in the automotive world. After an appropriate analysis of the pros and cons of both types of vehicles (combustion vs EV) it was decided to develop a project of an Electric SUV to take advantage of the positive situation in the market and to achieve the goal of innovation looking towards the future. The following project will illustrate the path that leads to the realization of the final product, following the SDE method and other various design technologies that will be further explained in detail, such as the Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Benchmarking (BM) and the Top Flop Analysis (TPA). The methods characterize the first part of this project, in which the key characteristics of the car and the degree of innovation are outlined, the market segment is identified, and the most common stylistic trends of today are analysed and applied. In the second part, however, the detailed external styling of the vehicle is carried out, using tools such as 3D CAD, up to the physical prototyping and visualization of the product, with Additive Manufacturing (AM), and virtual, with Augmented Reality (AR). The objective of the work is the design of an innovative SUV following the SDE method, all carried out in an America at the Lawrence Technological University of Southfield (MI), one of the most important automotive industrial centres. To identify the characteristics needed in the new SUV to make it competitive in the market, it is first necessary to analyse and compare them with existing models. Secondly, the style and design shown in the 2D, and 3D blueprints will lead to the final part of the work, the prototyping, and testing phase, to see if the product operates well.