Facelift
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As facelift (short MPF or Mopf than originally at Daimler-Benz used and in the automotive scene still very popular acronym ) are in the car - and motorcycle industry optical and technical revisions referred to a vehicle model. Since over the years the visual refreshment to encourage customers loyal to the brand to repeatedly change vehicles came more and more to the fore, but technical revisions and innovations increasingly took place from the early 1990s onwards in the change of model years , the anglicism facelift also became common. Today the automobile manufacturers usually use their own names such as LCI for Life Cycle Impulse ( BMW ) or PA for product upgrading ( Volkswagen ).
overview
Model maintenance measures, in which technical details of a vehicle of the same series are changed, take place annually at some manufacturers, other manufacturers allow technical model maintenance measures to flow into the ongoing series production at indefinite times. It is common to carry out a model upgrade around the middle of the product life cycle of a model. Typically, such a facelift includes new available engine variants , additional equipment options and visual changes that mostly affect details such as the headlights and bumpers . Allegedly, there are already plans for a later visual facelift when a new vehicle model is introduced. In contrast to the model change, in which a completely new vehicle comes onto the market, a vehicle remains largely the same after the facelift, but is subject to changes in detail. The majority of the changes are mostly of a visual nature (e.g. moldings, lights, radiator grille, fabric covers) and increase the visual aging of the vehicles sold so far; this is a classic anti-example of sustainability .
As part of the facelift, the new, improved model is often offered as the next year's model. For example, if the model update takes place in autumn of the year N, the vehicle is often offered as model N + 1. If the model update takes place in spring M, the designation M / II is also common, depending on the manufacturer.
The purpose of these measures is often to simulate a new model and the associated boost to sales figures. Vehicles from the facelift are therefore mostly advertised as new models. Uncritical media follow this style and describe the model upgrade as a new development.
A model update can also change the model name; this was e.g. E.g. the case with the renaming of Audi 100 to A6 in 1994.
Delimitation inaccuracies
What a facelift is and what is already a new model is ultimately a matter of interpretation. In some cases extensive facelifts and increased use of carry-over parts such as floor assemblies create a gray area. In the media consensus, the Mercedes-Benz 222 series (S-Class from 2013) is considered to be the new model, although it uses the floor pan and type approval of its predecessor, but the facelift of the 212 series (E-Class) published in the same year actually does only as a facelift, although the innovations were very extensive. Both were marketed as a new model.
Planning and control of the facelift
The facelift is often carried out with the change of the model year of a vehicle. This has advantages for the preparation of the sales documents, as the model year is also noted in the registration documents (see chassis number or vehicle identification number ). In addition, production planning and control is made easier, as the various technical changes that arise over time are not incorporated into production individually, but bundled, and the procurement and logistics of new and obsolete parts can thus be controlled more specifically.
Examples
Model upgrade without facelift
The exterior of the Mercedes-Benz W 123 was hardly changed during its ten years of production. The model maintenance measures were mainly of a technical nature.
During the construction period, among other things, newly developed engines, modified interior fittings and new equipment features were used. The external appearance essentially changed because vehicle parts that were only available for the top models at the start of production, such as broadband halogen headlights, were also installed in the smaller motorized versions from September 1982 onwards.
Light facelift
The BMW 5 Series was given a subtle visual and technical overhaul in September 2000 for the 2001 model year. The front headlights were replaced by headlights with parking light rings and round indicators, the taillights also slightly changed. All bumper strips were painted in the same color as the car (except for the M package and M5). The chrome edging and the shape of the BMW kidney grille have also been changed. The design of the front apron has been changed and the fog lights are round instead of square. From a technical point of view, from now on, among other things, newly developed engines were offered.
Extensive facelift
The Ford Scorpio was equipped with completely redesigned bodywork add-on parts in October 1994 for the 1995 model year. The hatchback was completely eliminated. The changes affected the front of the vehicle (headlights, fenders, bonnet, bumper, grille, etc.). The rear of the notchback sedan was also completely redesigned, which was not the case with the station wagon (tournament).
Because of the largely identical technology, the Scorpio '95 is still basically just a modernized Scorpio '92.
The same applies for the VW Golf VI , the greatest possible extent with the golf V is identical.
Facelift when changing the vehicle brand
In the history of the automotive industry it has happened that one vehicle manufacturer is taken over by another. In such cases, models from the acquired manufacturer were often included in the acquiring manufacturer's program with minor changes in the past. One example from the commercial vehicle industry is the Magirus-Deutz MK series . As part of the incorporation of Magirus-Deutz into the Iveco group from 1975 to 1983, the MK series from Magirus-Deutz, which had received a different radiator grille as early as 1980, underwent a further facelift in 1983, in which the indicators were now replaced Plastic bumpers made of metal migrated. At the same time, the interior was redesigned and the brand name was changed to Iveco. The changeover was made very carefully from “Magirus-Deutz” to “Magirus Iveco” and “Iveco Magirus”, finally to exclusively “Iveco”, in order to slowly introduce regular customers to the new brand.
literature
- Wilmjakob Herlyn: PPS in the automotive industry. Production program planning and control of vehicles and assemblies . Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-446-41370-2 .
- Guido Maune: Complexity management options for automobile manufacturers based on IT-supported end-to-end systems . Dissertation at the University of Paderborn, 2002
- Florian Klug: Logistics Management in the Automotive Industry - Basics of Logistics in the Automotive Industry . Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-05292-7 .
Individual evidence
- ^ W. Herlyn: PPS in automobile construction. Hanser Verlag, Munich 2012, p. 110.
- ↑ W. Herlyn: The scheduling of the series use of products and technical changes in the automotive industry from a logistical point of view. In: 20 Magdeburg logistics days. Conference proceedings. Fraunhofer IFF (ed.). Magdeburg 2015, p. 63 ff.
- ↑ Diagnosis: basically healthy. autobild.de , February 24, 2005, accessed December 29, 2017.
- ^ Production History. fordscorpio.co.uk, accessed December 29, 2017