Chassis Control: An Overview of the Present and a Look to the Future

The title of this Convergence session, “Digital Driving Increases Consumer Value,” suggests that particular electronic innovations in the passenger vehicle have perceptibly increased the appreciation that consumers have for their vehicles. In this paper, we explore this premise by focusing on chassis control systems.

The introductory section of the paper looks at some issues relating to these systems including the underlying concept of the car, costs, and integration. In the second section, we discuss some aspects of the Ferrari approach to the conception of the GT car. The third section looks at two contemporary trends, namely, that of the reduction of electronic content in the car, and the influence of F1 racing. In the final sections, we present a few thoughts about customer perceptions of chassis control systems and conclude with some future scenarios.