Time compression: Tests of speed and accuracy

摘要

The pressure is relentless. Long gone are the days when a vehicle manufacturer could spend years developing a new car; when the cycle between models almost spanned a decade. Nowadays, it is a question of months, with development times squeezed as tightly as possible. This has had an impact all the way down the line, leading to companies being tempted to take shortcuts, sometimes with disastrous consequences. The one area that tends to be short-circuited is testing, so that the vehicle or individual parts and components may not undergo the complete and thorough inspection they need.