Perceived Quality Engineering for New‑Age Passenger Vehicles

Background

Perceived Quality (PQ) defines how customers visually and physically judge a vehicle within the first few seconds of interaction—through fit and finish, surface continuity, interface harmony, and tactile feedback. In modern passenger vehicle programs, perceived quality has become a key differentiator alongside performance, safety, and technology, directly influencing brand perception and purchase decisions.

As customer expectations rise globally, late discovery of perceived quality issues often leads to increased tooling changes, added cosmetic components, delayed production timelines, and compromised craftsmanship. To address these challenges, a leading automotive OEM engaged Tata Elxsi to integrate Perceived Quality engineering early in the vehicle development lifecycle-from concept to Start of Production (SOP)-ensuring consistent, production‑ready quality across customer‑critical exterior and interior interfaces.

Challenge

Achieving consistent perceived quality in customer‑visible zones is particularly challenging due to:

•  Multiple intersecting parts and materials
• Complex Class‑A surface geometries
•  Manufacturing and assembly variations
•  Aggressive launch timelines

The A‑pillar to fender and windshield interface was identified as one such high‑visibility exterior zone where gap‑flush inconsistencies and surface transitions were highly noticeable and susceptible to misalignment. Similar perceived quality concerns existed across other exterior and interior interfaces, reinforcing the need for a system‑level PQ approach rather than isolated design fixes.

Solution

Tata Elxsi PQ team applied a structured 5-stage approach, embedding Perceived Quality from concept design to production launch, ensuring consistency and premium craftsmanship throughout.

5- stage Perceived Quality approach: Benchmarking, Target setting → Digital Assessments & closure → Part Assessments & Maturations → Vehicle assessments & maturations → SOP / start of production. 

While the A‑pillar–fender interface is highlighted here as an illustrative example, the same approach was applied across other key vehicle interfaces to achieve uniform craftsmanship.​

Key interventions included:​

• Trim Simplification: Eliminated the chitter trim between the A‑pillar and fender, reducing part count, tooling complexity, and assembly effort.​
• ​A -Pillar Geometry Re‑engineering: Refinement of interface geometry to enable trim deletion while maintaining premium visual continuity and dimensional robustness.
• Gap‑Hider Removal: Improved dimensional precision allowed the removal of gap‑masking components, simplifying design and manufacturing.
• Surface Harmonization: Streamlined feature lines and optimized transitions to ensure smooth surface flow and improved perceived quality.

This systematic approach ensured that similar enhancements could be replicated across other high‑visibility zones, resulting in a cohesive fit‑finish experience and a stronger overall perception of quality

Impact

By embedding Perceived Quality engineering early in the vehicle development lifecycle, Tata Elxsi delivered tangible business and product benefits:

•  500+ customer‑critical interfaces enhanced
• 25-30% reduction in geometry complexity 
• Significant reduction in design and engineering change costs
•  Faster time‑to‑market (3 months)
•  Improved brand perception and customer satisfaction
• Reduced tooling rework and manufacturing risk

This approach enabled production‑ready quality aligned with global benchmarks—without compromising cost or launch timelines.

Services Rendered

• Consulting and benchmarking 
• Trend analysis and target setting
• Digital optical quality assessments
• Virtual Reality & SPEOS model build, assessment, and closure 
• Geometry quality assessment and optimization
• Inputs to tooling kickoff​
• Physical part assessment on master bucks
• Proto vehicle assessments from Beta build to Start of production (SOP)​