AI accelerating vehicle development
Nissan is embracing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to deliver what it says will be faster, smarter and more efficient engineering workflows for its future line-up.
A partnership between Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE), pictured, and US-based vehicle software innovator Sonatus has been announced and aims to accelerate the vehicle development process.
Using a bespoke vehicle data collection tool, engineers from NTCE in Cranfield, UK, will use Sonatus’ Collector AI and Sonatus AI Technician to analyse real-time and historical vehicle data.
Harvesting information from sensors, electronic control units and on-board diagnostics tools, the AI tool will automatically detect irregularities, potential failures and operational inefficiencies.
Nissan says using this model will allow engineers to provide actionable insights and issue timely alerts to speed up decision-making.
The tool is still under development but early trials at NTCE indicate significant improvements in troubleshooting efficiency, reducing reliance on physical test vehicles and cutting investigation time from two weeks to two days.
David Moss, senior vice-president, research and development, Nissan Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania, says: “Our collaboration with Sonatus is a clear demonstration of Nissan’s commitment to innovation and adaptability.
“The role of AI is clear, to act as a tool for our engineers and not a direct replacement. Using their years of expertise and the AI tool, our engineers will be able to investigate and act quickly on ensuring our products and technologies are ready for customers sooner with zero compromise on quality.
“Working together will allow us to deliver an enhanced customer experience and maintain competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market”.
The Japanese marque adds that AI tools will become a cornerstone of Nissan’s testing programme.
Working with Sonatus and other providers, smart testing programmes are set to be adopted for the development of future models such as the all-new Nissan Leaf and Juke.
Alexandre Corjon, senior vice-president and technical fellow for Sonatus, says the collaboration with NTCE reflects a shared commitment to an AI-driven future.
“By enabling smarter data collection and accelerating digital development workflows, Sonatus is enabling teams to deliver complex systems with greater speed and precision.
“NTCE is demonstrating how forward-thinking engineering can redefine vehicle development and set a new benchmark for automotive innovation.”
