Chevy
SSR
MIT/ESD
and RISD students create accessory
products for Eppinger's course for
Chevy SSR
By
Monica
Nakamine
Take
the retro look of a hot-rod roadster,
install a high-tech V8 engine, and
add a retractable hardtop, and you've
got the Chevy
SSR General Motor Corporation’s
newest production vehicle. MIT and
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
students were assigned to create SSR
(a.k.a., Super Sport Roadster) accessory
products for Professor Steven Eppinger's
Product
Design and Development course.
Although
the majority of the class was comprised
of students from the Leaders for Manufacturing
(LFM) and System Design and Management
(SDM) programs on the MIT side, Sloan
MBA and engineering grad students
also participated.
With
an annual production of only 12,000
units and a base sticker price of
$41,995, the Chevy SSR has already
sold out in dealer allocations for
2003, as well as 2004, even before
its summer 2003 release. The vehicle's
popularity might be attributed to
the fusion of old-school and new-school
elements that are evident in the design
--an attribute that many of the students
were drawn to.
"The
coolest thing about the Chevy SSR
is that GM was able to take a little
bit of their history and do something
very new and original with it,"
said John Sharkey, LFM '04. "When
you see this car, you know it's a
Chevy, but it doesn't look like any
Chevy you've seen. While the styling
reminds you of a 1940s or '50s Chevy
truck, the hardtop convertible, sleek
profile, and powerful engine make
you think of a new high-performance
sports car."
Thanks
to Asoka Veeravagu (LFM '02), manufacturing
group leader at GM who is working
on the vehicle's launch, the Chevy
SSR was shipped via transporter earlier
this month from the Lansing, Michigan
manufacturing plant to the MIT campus.
LFM
'04s Michael Zeppieri (left) and Peter
Haughton (middle) chat with LFM alum
Asoka Veeravagu who is working on
the SSR's launch.
"As
the lead on GM-sponsored project,
it is my responsibility to help the
students with their projects as much
as possible," said Veeravagu.
"Bringing the SSR to MIT gave
them a chance to see firsthand just
how cool and unique this vehicle truly
is and incorporate their experience
with the SSR into the creation of
their products."
Although
they weren't able to drive it, the
students could see, feel, and measure
it for physical dimensions as well
as aesthetic appropriateness.
"We
were concerned that we could not effectively
design an accessory that would enhance
the SSR's image without actually seeing
the vehicle," said Satish Krishnan,
LFM '04. "When GM brought the
SSR to MIT, we were not only impressed
with its styling, but we were also
able to modify our design to better
fit the vehicle's image."
Two
teams of students in the class have
developed storage accesories for the
Chevy SSR, but each with a different
twist.
"Our
product is a storage device that will
be integrated with the bed of the
truck," said Steve King, LFM
'04 and member of Team A. "It
is suitable for carrying everyday
objects and portable, like a rolling
suitcase. Most importantly, it looks
cool!"
Team
B had the party animal in mind when
they created their product.
"Our
product is a powered cooler with additional
storage compartments," said SDM
student Christopher Lim, member of
Team B. "We envision it as part
of a tail-gating package of accessories
for the SSR, bringing easy functionality
to the truck-bed area for people who
want to take the party with them."
SDM student Chris Lim
Aside
from combining creativity with engineering
know-how, Eppinger's course also emphasizes
the interdisciplinary nature of successful
product development, fusing manufacturing,
engineering, marketing, business,
and industrial design into one concept.
By working with industrial designers
from RISD, LFM and SDM students had
a vantage point that allowed them
to realize the value of industrial
design.
"Bringing
in the industrial design students
from RISD allows MIT students to understand
the role of industrial design professionals
in product development," said
Eppinger. On the flip side, the course
"...also shows the RISD students
that a great design is not sufficient
for a successful product."
Pictured above: Members of Team
A and Asoka Veeravagu (second from
right, first row).
Team
A consisted of: Anthony Faranca, LFM
'04; Peter Haughton, LFM '04; Steve
King, LFM '04; Satish Krishnan, LFM
'04; Joe Levesque, LFM '04; Nisheeth
Singh, SDM '03; Jennifer Chang, RISD
'04; and Jane Lee, RISD '04.
Pictured above: Members of Team
B and Asoka Veeravagu.
Team
B included: Krissa Arn, MS '04; Michelle
Bernson, LFM '04; Carlos Gonzalez,
LFM '04; Christopher Lim, SDM '03;
Soyoung Park, RISD '04; Mauricio Salazar,
MBA '03; Lee Souder, RISD ’04;
Michelle Stevens, SDM '03; and Michael
Zeppieri, LFM '04.
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