The appearance of modern cars has not changed much during the past few decades, but the improvement underneath the exterior is considerable. Cars in the past were more mechanical, while modern cars feature electronics and software. As the trend of electrification and “smart cars” keeps rising within the industry, automobiles are moving toward fast-changing consumer products as opposed to durable goods. The trend impacts the development, manufacturing, management, and marketing of the whole industry.
The life cycle of an automobile product has been drastically reduced. Gone are the days when Mercedes-Benz sold the W124 E-Class for over a decade. The span of a generation is now 6 to 7 years on average. Within a single generation, however, a product can still be heavily modified to keep it fresh. Mercedes-Benz introduced a comprehensive life-cycle-impulse for the W213 E-Class in 2020 with different front- and rear- designs and new engines. Even before 2020, the W213 had been receiving new engines, and new steering wheels for a new model year. The product has to be dynamically revised for every single model year to maintain media exposure and marketing momentum. This implies an ever-changing component list within a single generation. Cars from different years cannot be maintained and repaired with the same procedures and the same parts.
A shorter life cycle of cars implies a concern for development costs. To ensure a responsive product enhancement at a reasonable cost, some measures are implemented. For entry-level products aimed at the young, modulization is widely applied. Notable examples include the MQB platform of VAG, the UKL platform of BMW, and the MFA family of Mercedes-Benz. This is a way to generate as many models as possible on the same basis. These products, however, are not designed to last a long time. Rather, manufacturers are hoping that young buyers will replace the old car soon. Many components are thus sourced from outside suppliers at a lower cost. The most prominent example is that Mercedes-Benz uses the Renault-shared 1.33L engine paired to the Getrag DCT gearbox on its 200 MFA models below. Unlike the older W176 A-Class that used Mercedes’ own M270 and 7G-DCT, the W177 A-Class does not have the “pure-Mercedes” powertrain. Most buyers would not even notice the difference, but it does feel weird once you know the truth. Does this affect durability? No one knows.
Aside from the sourcing strategy, the philosophy of engineering is changing, too. To save weight and assembly cost, bolts are gradually replaced by clicks and glues when attaching a component to the others. This sounds like a win-win solution for the manufacturers and the customers, but it is a nightmare for aftermarket maintenance. Clicks are highly vulnerable upon disassembly, and once they are broken, the whole part has to be replaced. Glues are even more problematic, making disassembly and re-assembly more complicated. Besides the assembly, power train components are designed to the mechanical limit to meet the emission and fuel consumption regulations. We see a 1-liter turbocharged engine making more power than the 2-liter in the past, and dry-clutch DCTs claiming better efficiency compared to the torque converters. Four-wheel-drive systems are operating under electronic control and hydraulic clutch engagement, and this can be seen on the Audi quattro-ultra and the Haldex Traction. All these technologies have had little concern for durability for more than a decade.
With the penetration of electric cars thanks to the regulations, more problems regarding durability and repairability will emerge. The key factor is the lithium battery itself. Batteries are subject to a destined recharge cycle and can only be replaced once the limit is reached. To ensure a shorter charging time for better distance, fast charging with hundreds of voltages is widely applied to electric cars. This does not help the durability at all because the heat generated during the charging is harmful to the battery. Even if customers accept that batteries are not repairable and are willing to replace the battery of the old electric car, the replacement cost would be incredibly high that it forces customers just to buy a new car. Another problem with obsolescent batteries is that recycling the toxic contents inside is difficult and costly.
Tesla is perhaps the most successful pioneer of electric cars. It shows the possibility and capability of electric power and brings IT technologies to the mass production of cars. The intelligent operating system and autonomous driving revolutionize the way we drive a car and mark the transition of the industry from mechanics-oriented to IT-oriented. What comes together with the IT bandwagon, however, is the fast-moving pace of the IT industry. As the onboard OS becomes an important consideration when buying a new car, the progress of the car-IT must keep rolling. This may accelerate the relative obsolescence of an old car with a less attractive OS just as the rapid obsolescence of old smartphones, although the obsolescence does not mean the actual physical shutdown.
What if we just insist on holding a car for over a decade and keep it well-maintained, ignoring all the marketing and engineering tricks? The truth is that repairing and maintenance may not even be viable in the future. As the wage rises and the repair becomes more difficult, the overall maintenance cost is higher than in the past, especially for cars over 10 years that require a major overhaul. Some parts cannot be ordered individually now and come in a package that includes some unneeded parts. Compare the maintenance cost and the purchase price of a new car, many would just give up the old one and go for a new purchase. The whole scheme is delicately premediated by the manufacturers, and the ultimate goal is to sell more new cars every year. If customers hold and keep repairing an old car, the money will not go to the bank account of those manufacturers.
What is the future of repairability? Let’s target zero.
