How to do car design remotely – SAIC
The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way in which millions of people around the world are living and working. The automotive industry is scrambling to adapt, and while some areas such as manufacturing have come to a halt, the latest digital tools are allowing car designers to keep going.
In this series of short articles, Car Design News talks to the world’s leading designers about virtual car design, the challenges and the possibilities.
Shao Jingfeng, Global Design Director at SAIC, describes the procedures that were in place at the company during lockdown, and reveals the current situation in China with the re-opening of the SAIC design studio.
How to do car design remotely – Hyundai and Genesis
SAIC responded very quickly to the crisis, and was one of the first car manufacturing to adapt production lines for mask making. We asked our colleagues to work from home and adhere to social distancing rules in the early stages. All our employees wore the masks we made, and we even sent them to our colleagues around the world before the virus had spread.
During lockdown, the only work that we couldn’t continue was clay modelling. We were able to do all other work remotely with help from our IT colleagues. We carried out more virtual design reviews instead of physical model reviews than perhaps we have ever done before.
When we returned to the studio we divided our workforce into A and B shifts in order to make sure there weren’t too many people going in at the same time. We used Big Data to create a Health Pass Code for designers wanting to enter campus. We cancelled our shuttle bus to encourage driving or walking, and our canteen prepared take-away food for everyone.
When we were in lockdown I was thinking how my design team could help to fight this pandemic. So we decided to team up with a company that makes cartoons. Together we produced posters that illustrated measures for preventing the spread of the virus, like thoroughly washing hands for example. We received an incredible reaction, with some people even sending us thankyou notes.
The pandemic is still having an impact on our industry and project progress. However, we must maintain a positive attitude. We need to learn to utilise the convenience brought by new technology. Digital tools are changing work methods and increasing our efficiency. Also working during lockdown has allowed us to re-think the meaning and value of design work, as well as identify additional ways to better serve our customers.
We recently helped to develop the SAIC ultra-violet capsule (UVC), which is applied in the AC system and helps filter the air. The coronavirus has put things into perspective, and so we feel that we need to re-focus on the fundamentals of health and humans. In the future, we hope to extend our expertise to address health issues within future mobility solutions, encouraging an interdisciplinary approach between engineering and design.
We are now taking steps in order to make up for project delays that were caused by lockdown. My current to-do list is focused on the launch of new designs, including new branding and new products. This year is a crucial year for Roewe brand, which just released the latest new dual-logo strategy (Lion logo and R logo). The blockbuster product featuring the new Lion logo is Roewe RX5 Plus and two other production cars, featuring a Chinese aesthetic “trendy” design. During the current epidemic, great attention was paid online. Now we need to fully prepare and communicate the new Roewe design to society in May and June.
