Re Cost of switching car designs.
More and more, the auto mfrs. are becoming assemblers, it seems to me. They've spun off their auto parts businesses. And they subcontract out major subassemblies. Johnson Controls has a major business in supplying complete interiors to the auto makers. Those interiors will include all the lighting, temperature controls, information readouts. The "connection" to the rest of the car design is (1) it has to fit--so they have to work within given dimensions, and (2) it has to take power from the battery.
My point is that with the modular assembly that they are doing now, it isn't as complicated to make a change in something like an interior light. Johnson Controls is continuously designing and redesigning anyway, because they're competing with other contractors to supply interiors to successive car models.
It might be more difficult if other parts of the car were effected by any interior changes. But, the car interior is the last part of the "chain". For instance, if the mfr changes the chassis, it necessitates a change in the body, which will mean the interior has to change as well. That's not the case for the interior. They design according to the space they're given.
Similarly, for the exterior signal lights--It doesn't matter to anyone what kind of light goes into the space provided, as long as it fits and it draws only the specified amount of juice from the battery.
The huge cost is in introducing a new model every several years. And that the car makers are doing anyway. Whether they decide to use the same part that the previous model used is almost incidental, since in major redesigns they are changing so much of the car already.
At least that's the way it looks to me.
Best,
John |
