2009 Diploma thesis

Business coupe a professional long distance car

I already mentioned that I am a great fan of the european highway culture. You can find this for example on roadhouses/highway stations/motels and directly on the track (the highway). It is evident that the highways are a separated world of traffic and life. Mostly there is a fence dividing this high speed track from the ordinary streets and landscapes. There is a reason for that ... the highway is not just a street ... its more something like a runway/airstrip. This road requires much more performance from a car than an ordinary street. Higher speed calls for a better aerodynamic, brakes, more driver attention, for some people also more bravery, etc. Generaly its a traffic scenery with the highest requirements for driver and machine ... a kind of professional driving track. Between all the people who drive on the highway there is one category of drivers ... drivers with a lot of driving routine ... some also call them roadwarrior ... the traveling salesmen or frequent drivers.

Therefore the target of my final project was to create a car for the professional driver ... the traveling salesman who is spending a lot of working time by driving on highways. The final car should be a professional working tool for the customer (the pilot/roadwarrior) but with the sustainable future in mind.

scenario:

1. There will be no tax-deductability for business cars anymore, because the european government wants to start the co2-based tax. Today about 70% of the big limousines and SUVs (luxury Jeep) are calendered by companies. Some parties already require to cancel this tax -deductability.

>> This calls for a new/special kind of business car

2. In the meantime the economy is addicted to the highway system. A lot of companies settled/settle down next to the highways.

>> The car industry has to find also future solutions for a long distance car

3. There will be different drive train concepts in the future because the feasability of almost every alternative drive train technology is still in progress.

>> Therefore the structure/package of the car should allow a possibly upgrade/change of the drive train technology.