Joint success with VW Brazil: customer-centred approach to ADAS/AD development established

Challenges for Volkswagen in South America

The future of mobility is characterised by increasingly advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD). These technologies are also becoming increasingly important in South America. Volkswagen faces the challenge of adapting its ADAS/AD systems to the different requirements of regional markets. Differences in road infrastructure, driver behaviour and traffic scenarios require a tailored approach.

Partnership and collaboration for customer-centric development

In collaboration with the VW Development Centre South America in Brazil, MdynamiX and the Institute for Driver Assistance and Networked Mobility (IFM) at the University of Applied Sciences in Kempten have taken a pioneering step. Together, they have established a customer-centric development process that enables the integration of customer needs and requirements directly into the development process.

Customer focus methods and tools

This process is based on the latest research methods and tools to accurately identify customer preferences and market needs. Focus group studies provide important insights that enable a well-founded target. A uniform evaluation metric that includes both subjective and objective criteria, as well as standardised driving scenario catalogues, form the basis for effective, customer-oriented development.
Special mention should be made of the engineers Izabella Frade and Lucas Inácio Rodrigues Damasceno and the managers Daniel F. and Paulo Morassi, who played a key role in the development and implementation of this process. Seda Aydogdu’s coordination also deserves recognition for the successful completion of this challenging project.

Presentation and outlook

The results of this initiative will be presented at chassis.tech plus in Munich on 4-5 June. It is expected that this customer-centric approach will help Volkswagen to establish itself as a pioneer in ADAS/AD technologies in South America and to best meet the needs of customers in this region. It will be exciting to see how this development process evolves in the future and what innovations will emerge.