Ford engineers are using part of a $7-million government grant to further develop a new way to make prototype parts in the constant pursuit to develop vehicles faster and more cost-efficiently.
Developing new vehicles can takes years and millions of dollars, making it hard to respond quickly to changing consumer tastes.
The industry has worked to cut the five-year vehicle development time in half by doing more work in the digital world but there is still a need for clay models and prototype parts and vehicles before an automaker greenlights production of a new car or truck.
Source
Detroit Free Press