The automotive industry is currently changing as a result of growth in the BRIC states and the rapidly increasing complexity due to the expanding number of product variants. The established automotive manufacturers and the supply industry are globalizing their businesses through localization and by entering into alliances and joint ventures. In many cases, automotive companies have been founded in growth markets. The expected output in terms of development has increased greatly. A seamless cooperation between automotive manufacturers and the supply industry is mandatory. Engineering service providers in particular must adapt their global presence to the needs of the manufacturer and be able to integrate into their processes. Their regional development centers must fulfill the needs of the customer locally, and yet be networked, in order to use engineering providers' knowledge optimally. In order to be able to cope with the range of product variants, an improved development methodology is required that enables development tasks to be executed more efficiently. In particular, work packages must be transferred from the road to the rig and into the virtual world. Simulation models that support consistency along the complete process chain can significantly speed up the development and calibration of variants.
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