Modern MPV for New Market

Full turnkey responsibility from concept through to post production support.

Customer Requirements

The client had no automotive experience but wished to become the first indigenous Indonesian manufacturer. The brief was to identify a niche in the Indonesian market, design a vehicle and manufacturing facility to satisfy this niche and support the client with supply chain set up, logistics, marketing and staff training.

MIRA Solution

The scope of the project included product design and testing, supply chain set up, tooling procurement, manufacturing process and facilities definition and client staff training,

Initial concept sketches and renders.
Vehicle package, cabin layout and ergonomics.
Body design.
Vehicle testing and development
Production line.

Innovative Features

The objective of breakeven against Japanese pricing at a volume of 10000 units/annum on a single shift was achievable. The project had a lead time of 33 months from start to finish including the factory build. The body had 150 tooled panels with an average of less than 2 tools per panel.

A simple rugged separate chassis gave a platform for MPV, van and light truck variants with the maximum possible component commonality. The chassis has a north–south driveline combined with independent front suspension and live rear axle. This chassis combined with a stylish MPV body mounted on isolation rubbers resulted in a vehicle with a modern visual appearance, world class ride and handling optimised for the in-territory conditions and simple service and maintenance schedules that matched the available servicing infrastructure.

The manufacturing plant and tooling were all procured from established suppliers to the global automotive industry. The component quality was built into the tooling and assembly equipment to ensure that the vehicle quality was as far as practicable independent of the need to recruit from an inexperienced labour pool.