Stylistic design engineering (SDE) to conceptualize a new Seven-Seater car

The present paper is about a family car project that starts from a study of the characteristics of the type of car taken into consideration and from an analysis of the environment carried out through an historical research on the models on the market from the 30s to the mid-90s, and their classification. The market analysis was carried out by answering six questions from the QFD and by developing the tables of relative importance and interrelation through which the most important and the most independent requirements to be attributed to the innovative family project were obtained. The competitor analysis was made through a research on the models currently on the market, the development of the benchmarking, and the what/how matrix from which the final requirements and project objectives were determined. The brand was selected, the budget was drawn up over a 12-month period and the car’s product architecture was defined. The SDE was carried out through an aesthetic analysis of the existing models, the sketches for each type of style and the selection of the final sketches. The development of the product, instead, consisted in the prototyping of a 1:18 scale model of the car through 3D printing.