The changing face of the car parc means that steering and suspension parts are changing. Stefan Bachmann, Head of Product Team Steering & Suspension at MEYLE observed: “The growing demand for electric and hybrid cars poses a number of challenges for car and spare part manufacturers – one of which is that generally heavier electric cars create a need for materials with higher tensile strength.” He continued: “That's where the challenge begins; The development of such parts takes both time and financial resources. Because, if you think about it, why should new parts be developed when what is used for a combustion engine fits an electric car? A question that many car manufacturers are probably asking themselves – because, from their point of view, the number of their cars on the road is almost certainly the most important thing. “The aftercare is left to the independent aftermarket, who then has to deal with the issue of how to get cars up and running with parts that were clearly not designed for them, let alone for the road? And that brings us to the next rather significant development. There are now far fewer road tests than only a few years ago. “Quite a few car manufacturers test the quality and durability of their materials and components solely in the laboratory and no longer in an environment they are actually used in: on the road. As a result, not only the independent aftermarket will be faced with various 42 AFTERMARKET APRIL 2024 STEERING AND SUSPENSION www.aftermarketonline.net SPRING INTO ACTION The vehicles coming through your doors are changing, and this is affecting their steering and suspension systems challenges, but also car owners, who will have to have parts replaced more frequently, which is particularly costly in high-wage countries.” Development processes Stefan went on to say: “Since the demand for new parts is growing faster than ever before, another challenge will be that development processes will have to be shortened and higher margins on parts need to be available in shorter periods of time. This will be a major challenge for manufacturers who focus on high quality products and haven't yet taken this into consideration, since establishing a re-engineering process is a major task. Not to mention the knowledge, the time and financial resources and the production facilities required. “Even if this is still a vision of the future for some, we can already say that quality is king. But quality does not only mean using the right materials, it also means sharing essential knowledge about products and their handling – especially in a situation where the face of mobility is rapidly changing and the demand for electric vehicles is constantly growing. “Having the right parts is a good thing, but it's not enough, since mechanics won’t install them, or can’t install them – at least not unless they have worked on highvoltage vehicles before. The difficulty here is greater than with other developments in the past, as work on an electric Above: Dayco suspension repair kit
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