In review: Design for manufacturing

As Car Design News reaches the end of its focus on design for manufacturing (DfM), one thing is clear: this approach is a facilitator of design creativity and a core component of car design, rather than functioning as a downstream technical check.

DfM is now considered at the beginning of the design process – shaping form, proportion and material expressions. With this in mind, DfM ensures that creative intent can be realised consistently throughout the creation of a vehicle. For designers, this early engagement helps prevent the gradual dilution of ideas that can occur when manufacturing realities are introduced too late. 

CDN spoke to a variety of OEMs across the month – from Californian start-up Oilstainlab to Ford, Xpeng and Zeekr – to explore the topic further. 

Manufacturing as a creative partner 

Across OEM studios and independent startups alike, the narrative of manufacturing as a constraining force against design is no longer. Now, collaboration is key for creativity.

At Xpeng the relationship between design and engineering is framed not as friction, but as enablement. Designers are encouraged to push forward with bold ideas, while the manufacturing department works alongside them to explore how those ideas can be realised. 

This mindset shift is echoed at Ford Performance, where the Mustang Dark Horse SC programme thrived on what senior designer Aaron Walker described as “good tension” between design and engineering. Hard points and packaging constraints were non-negotiable which therefore prompted creative problem solving. Chief programme engineer Ari Groeneveld added: “There was passion on both sides and that’s what made it work. It was about pushing and challenging each other.” 

For Oilstainlab, seeing manufacturing as a creative partner is fundamental. As a small Californian start-up building radical hypercars, manufacturing, cost and engineering considerations are baked into the design process from the outset. CEO Nikita Bridan believes that constraints are not the enemy of creativity, but its catalyst. By designing directly to known production methods, the studio has managed to carry “99%” of its original vision through to production reality.

Another small studio – Morgan – also balances thin margins for error and constrained resources, making the relationship between design and production even more explicit. Jonathan Wells from Morgan sings the praises of his engineers and described design for manufacturing as "precisely what we do." He used the example of shaping a wheel arch that flows through into the sill. If he's drawn it at too sharp an angle, or with too much twist to a point where the metal might lose structural rigidity, the engineer can spot that straight away and propose an alternative solution. "We're more high-tech than you'd think," he told CDN from the busy Morgan stand at Retromobile.

The earlier, the better 

Perhaps the most consistent point throughout the month was the value of early manufacturing involvement. Oilstainlab’s production car, the HF-11, began with a clean sheet and, thanks to the founders’ strong OEM background, viable technology and manufacturing considerations were already accounted for via “big picture thinking.” Bridan continued: “Cost is driven by complexity and complexity is driven by not understanding manufacturing methods. So, if you can understand the manufacturing method first, you can design to those constraints.” 

At Ford, Walker has observed that the two disciplines now meet much earlier in the process. Xpeng’s design manager Alain Simon agrees, stating that manufacturing comes into conversations very early on: “We work with them within the design process today because we always need to reduce the timeline of a design for a car. What better way than to get the engineers involved almost right away.”

This is also the case at Porsche, with Albrecht Reimold, member of the executive board for production, adding “the dialogue at the beginning is the most important. This is the only way to keep pushing the boundaries between technical feasibility and design requirements.” 

Continuity is key 

None of the OEMs interviewed described a clear handover point where design ends and manufacturing begins – showing that beyond early engagement, collaboration continues throughout the vehicle design process. 

Xpeng’s Simon describes this process as working “hand in hand” and adds: “When it comes to the details, later on in the manufacturing process, we [work] really closely and make things become a reality. But there’s not one specific area where they are more involved. It’s everything.”

Meanwhile at Zeekr, the benefits of continuous DfM extend further. By freezing design and manufacturing data earlier, the company gives the purchasing team a longer window to negotiate with suppliers, so multiple suppliers can compete on price – therefore driving costs down without compromising the design intent.

Ultimately, design for manufacturing is a continuous process that extends from concept development through to series production. The message is clear: great design and production are not opposing forces, but partners in the same pursuit.