Preparing for its next step into electromobility, Porsche creates an extensive new training program and adapts its processes.
The automaker says it acted because alongside emotive qualities such as look and feel, content and software quality are increasingly important.
Frank Moser, head of Corporate Quality, says it’s key that Porsche adjusts to these changes. “The networking of components within the car, as well as the networking of the vehicle with its environment, are of ever-growing importance,” he says in a statement.
There is steady growth in the number of software modules used in cars, and a corresponding rise in what they are expected to achieve, he says.
More functions are being moved from hardware to software – services that also can be controlled using smartphones are becoming part of the overall car system, and of the customer journey.
“We are handling this new aspect under the heading of content quality,” Moser says. “These developments mean it is necessary to guarantee both the software in these products and their interaction with the car.”
Emotional quality refers to the elements related to the perception, look and acoustics of the car. As the advent of electromobility brings a silent drive system – where these used to be a dominant sound source – quality requirements are expanding in this area.
“In interaction with the external dynamics, the silence inside the vehicle is really quite astonishing,” Moser says.
In an electric car, the senses of the employees monitoring quality are attuned to noises previously drowned out by the combustion-engine drive system.
“Suddenly the sounds of the wind, driving noise or the fans for in-seat climate control come to the fore,” Moser says. “The art is in maintaining the impression of value at the accustomed level while further reducing what was previously ambient noise.
“And of course, the quality of the look and feel is what makes a car perfect: its feel, workmanship and value.”
Moser uses the example of the screens installed in the vehicle to further illustrate his point: “As the number and size of displays increases, we also need to ensure that the colors and brightness of the various screens are visually calibrated to each other. In other words, color matching is no longer relevant just for the exterior and interior.”
He says Corporate Quality is responding to changes in technologies and products by means of adapted structures and new processes.
The area is set up to be function-oriented and no longer exclusively focused on individual components.
“Today’s chassis is no longer just a chassis, but also incorporates the drive system and software,” Moser says. “This means Corporate Quality needs an understanding of the whole system and relies on teams of experts from different areas.”
