January 3, 2005 One of the problems facing a company as diverse and international as automotive design and manufacturing consultants EDAG Engineering + Design AG, is which major automotive exhibitions it should miss. EDAG is not a household name in the automotive sense, but it is a name which is fast growing in importance inside automotive manufacturers worldwide and hence when two of its most important flag-waving exercises occurred simultaneously, it simply upped the ante and will show three new automotive concepts at the same time at the Auto-Expo in New Delhi (India) and the Detroit Motor Show (USA) next week. At the NAIAS in Detroit, EDAG will exhibit two show cars - a hardtop version of the Pontiac Solstice and an extravagant, extroverted and high-priced SUV 2005 concept. Meanwhile, at Auto-Expo 2006 in New Delhi, EDAG will be presenting the “EDAG Show Car No. 8” as a symbol for the EDAG philosophy of “networked engineering” of product and production.
The American sports convertible comes from the factory with a cloth top which disappears under a flap in the back when retracted. The EDAG designers have designed a special hardtop, including a new boot flap, for the Solstice which not only puts a solid roof over the driver’s head, but also gives the car a completely new appearance. Inspired by the Pontiac Safari station wagons of the 1950s and 1960s, the EDAG designers have come up with a dynamic, elegant and contemporary variant of a sports estate.
The second show car presented by the company at the motor show in Detroit will be the “EDAG SUV 2005”, a concept for an extravagant, extroverted and high-priced vehicle. “The car is a lifestyle sports vehicle of the luxury class and was conceived specifically for car lovers who appreciate a sporty and thoroughly extroverted appearance in the off-roader segment as well,” explains Johannes Barckmann, head of the EDAG Design Studio. “As a leitmotiv for the appearance of the SUV 2005,” Barckmann continues, “we took the image of an American football player, the perfect incarnation of power and assertive force.” The broadly shaped muscles above the wheel housings, coupled with the lowered roofline and the wedge-shaped, massive side sills, visually reinforce this image.
EDAG will be exhibiting proof of its performance capability as partner to local and international automobile industries for the second time at one of the most important automobile shows in the Asian region. The company, headquarters in Fulda, has operated its own branch in New Delhi since 1999; the company works for the Indian automobile industry or is integrated into international development projects of the EDAG Group.
EDAG will be presenting the “EDAG Show Car No. 8” at the Auto-Expo as a symbol for the EDAG philosophy of “networked engineering” of product and production. The “EDAG Show Car No. 8” represents an independent vehicle design which can be manufactured largely utilizing production equipment already in existence. Moreover, the concept of the “EDAG Show Car No. 8” demonstrates how a completely independent, innovative product offering additional opportunities for sale to other target groups and for new markets can arise from the mere change in external components.
As a second fair highlight, EDAG will exhibit a roller hemming cell at the trade fair stand as an example of its competence for innovative production technology. The patented roller hemming technology is an especially low-cost and flexible production process which increases the economic efficiency of the series and niche production of bodies, add-on parts and doors and flaps. This system enables cost savings in production of as much as 70% in comparison with conventional processes such as hem pressing. The further development in joint technology from EDAG does completely without expensive machine constructions such as hem presses or beading tools for joining steel or aluminium sheets during automobile production.
For a development company serving the automobile industry for motor vehicles and production equipment, the spatial proximity to customers, along with technical competence, is a decisive success factor. As part of the globalization strategy, EDAG pursues the goal of offering the product “German Engineering” on all world markets and, moreover, getting to know the thought processes of the various cultures. EDAG perceives the road to new markets as an opportunity to participate in the strengths and experience of the local partners. The move to other countries is motivated for EDAG primarily by the idea of service and less a question of cost reduction due to a lower tax or wage level on the other side of the border. Thanks to the worldwide network of branch offices of EDAG, the customer can depend on EDAG’s service array even when abroad and can speak to a personal contact at his location.
By participating in the trade fair in New Delhi and Detroit, EDAG emphasizes its position as the independent partner for networked engineering in the motor vehicle industry. The expansion of the market volume by the international presence on all established and future markets of the automobile industry secures the full use of capacity at all 33 EDAG sites.