r/AutomotiveEngineering

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I’m heavily exploring the idea of starting a small automotive manufacturing company and want to understand how to realistically build a mainstream‑style, gasoline‑powered midsize sedan at meaningful volume, not a low‑volume replica or overly small niche vehicle.

What I already understand:

I want to build a competitively priced front‑wheel‑drive architecture‑based high performance small midsize sedan with smooth efficient 4‑cylinder, smooth efficient V6, and possible V8 gasoline‑engine options.

My long‑term vision is 20,000–70,000 units per year, once the platform and process are proven.

The car is designed around high build quality, simplicity, fewer electronics, and repair‑focused reliability and durability—more mechanical‑leaning systems, easier diagnosis, and long‑term robustness at its core.

The vehicle would need to meet FMVSS and EPA / CARB compliance, including crash, lighting, restraints, emissions, and OBD‑2.

What I’m trying to figure out:

How does the process differ from low‑volume paths?

For a mainstream‑style sedan at 20k–70k units per year, do I have to think and act like a full‑volume OEM from day one, or can a small manufacturer start with a simpler, scaled‑up approach?

What are the most realistic first‑phase milestones?

Is it realistic to begin with:

A detailed 3D design and system‑architecture spec,

a prototype or “mule” on a donor chassis to prove the powertrain and packaging,

then scale up to a dedicated production platform later?

Or is it effectively required to have a full‑blown, clean‑sheet prototype and crash‑test program before anyone (investors, manufacturers, partners) will take you seriously?

How much physical proof‑of‑concept do you actually need?

Is it possible to get traction with a 3D model + comprehensive engineering plan + clear FMVSS‑style testing and EPA‑style certification roadmap, or is a running, drivable V6‑powered midsize sedan basically a minimum bar?

How do small manufacturers realistically handle NHTSA / EPA and homologation?

Do small startups typically:

Use contract engineering / testing firms,

Partner with existing OEMs or chassis suppliers,

or try to build everything in‑house?

Are there decent examples of small manufacturers that grew from near‑nothing to 20k–70k per year, and what did they do in the early stages?

I’m not just asking “how to build a car”; I’m asking for practical, step‑by‑step guidance from people who work in OEMs, contract engineering, or start‑from‑zero manufacturers:

What does a realistic “Phase 0–1” look like for a small team trying to build a mainstream‑style sedan at 20k–70k units per year?

What level of physical proof‑of‑concept vs virtual design is usually needed to get serious partners or investors involved?

Thank you in advance!

Just like the title says, I want to start my own car company. The problem that I've seen with these last few decades is the death of the economy car. Cars nowadays are not cheap nor reliably built. I want to change that. The type of car I want to build is one that hasn't seen the light of day since the 1920s, the good old fashioned steam car. I do not plan for the steam engine to be the only part to make the economy car a true economy car. I plan to integrate an electric heating coil and battery into the engine so that the coil activates while idling to save on your primary fuel.

In order to do this, I will start small by retrofitting a junked internal combustion engine car with an external combustion engine. I want to replace the entire engine with one that resembles the engine in the Doble Model F with an integrated electric coil that would kick in while the car isles. I will have to have the engine made and first I need to have an automotive engineer design plans for this engine because the only other plans I could find aren't very good and I know that I don't know enough to design it myself.

After the first conversion, and a few more to work out the kinks, I want to build my own car from the ground up.

This car company is not intended to replace all internal or electric cars, but rather to fill the niche left by the death of so many cheap car brands.

P.S. I know this idea seems far fetched but I feel it is sorely necessary. I'm aware that steam engines aren't the most efficient solutions for automobiles, and knowing what we did for electric cars with our century of automotive science, I'm sure we can do the same thing for the humble steam engine.

Hi everyone,
I recently graduated in Automotive Engineering and I’m currently trying to decide what master’s degree to pursue. I thought it would be a good idea to ask people who already work in the industry or who have gone through similar decisions, because real experiences are probably more valuable than university presentations or marketing.
My background is mostly mechanical engineering focused: internal combustion engines, thermodynamics, vehicle dynamics, machine design, materials, manufacturing processes, drivetrain systems, etc. So overall, I feel like I have a solid mechanical foundation.
The thing is, the automotive industry seems to be shifting more and more toward electrification, electronics, software, embedded systems, control engineering, ADAS, and EV-related technologies. That’s where my dilemma starts.
I’m not sure if I should:
continue further into the mechanical side, where I already have a strong base and probably a more natural path;
or
push myself toward the electrical/electronic side, even if it means leaving my comfort zone and catching up on a lot of new concepts.
I’d really like to hear from people already working in the field:
What master’s degree did you choose and was it worth it?
How difficult is it for someone with a mechanical background to transition toward the electrical/software side?
Do companies value traditional mechanical engineers as much as hybrid profiles nowadays?
Another thing I keep thinking about is that I genuinely enjoy the mechanical side of engineering, but at the same time it feels like many of the better opportunities and salaries are moving toward electrical/software-related roles. On the other hand, I also don’t want to choose a path only because “that’s where the market is going” and then realize I don’t actually enjoy the work.

There are a bunch of different ECU manufacturers such as Bosch, Continental, Marelli, Delhpi, etc. and different cars and bikes come equipped with ECUs from different manufacturers. What exactly are the things that are considered by OEMs when making the decision of which ECU brand to go for? Furthermore, within a specific brand (say Bosch), what is the reason behind different cars having different ECU models such as MD1CS / edc15 etc?

hey! so i REALLY want to make a little car that i can drive around in, it doesnt have to be too advanced, i mean like, not a hyper super duper advanced driveshaft, differential, and ackermann steering geometry. i just want a little car to help me get the groceries or cruise around my city with comfort and ease.

i want it to be primarily made of plywood and metal braces to keep it pretty lightweight if i want to pull it up to my apartment.

i want it also to have an electric motor to not have the hassle to make a combustion engine. i want it to be small and nimble, just enough so i can traverse the city to get to places quicker and perhaps pick up some groceries or building materials.

the tech has to be like pretty simple in it so it isnt hard for me to wire it up, maybe ill pay an electrician or a mechanic to do that for me.

i designed a model in roblox for how it would roughly look like finalized, and just a heads up its only gonna drive on bike lanes (if available) and sidewalks. it is of course gonna be smaller than the build i made on roblox. also i live in ukraine, more specifically Mykolaiv, so i think this might not be possible to operate on public roads or sidewalks. im happy if you find any workarounds, though!

also what tools will i need? i think the essentials are a jigsaw and hammer (or screwdriver).

EDIT: the used golfcart/microcar/quadricycle/motorbike wont work because used ones cost really expensive here in ukraine.

point is: i want a simple electric car made of plywood, metal braces and plexiglass or transparent PVC sheets for the windows.

thank you so so so much for all the help you could give me, i value it a lot and am super looking forward to building this car :D

IMAGES:

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the features (please ignore the read me thing, thats just for other players to notice that i cant talk to most of them)

I keep seeing people talking about torque split and 59/41 or 41/59 but i always thought DCCD (Subaru) and ACD (Mitsubishi) where controlling the lockup of the centre diff ie. straight line is locked steering input and changes in wheel speeds changes the lockup and allows slip to occur on the ACD the modes change how fast this occurs and i thought DCCD followed the same principle being 50/50 all the time and you being able to select an amount of lockup you want for the road conditions more traction less lockup less traction more lockup and more fat slides i know GR FOUR uses an over run rear to get more “torque bias” by technically spinning the rear faster than the front but i didn’t know Subaru did this is it in the planetary gears that the overrun happens inside the DCCD?

Hi guys 😔, Iam an 22 y/o (m) currently doing internship in a company which deals with the defence stuff like radars military communication and they are even offering me for full time conversion in which i get 35 K Rupees/month in hand ,The thing is i always wanted to work in automobile and aerospace companies which i am very found of i really relly love cars and stuff even my sole reason to do ME is cars and automobile stuff so the questions are

1.Should i join this and suffer ( 3 years contract)?

2.Does automobile sector has offertunity and

growth?

3.If i have to to join Automobile sector what should i do exceptionally well.

4.what other sectors that i can eye on?

Thankyou for those who took your piece of time to read all my crap 😔 sorry for my grammar mistakes

Growing up I really liked cars so much I wanted to become a automotive engineer just so my entire job can be about cars, I’m starting my first year of college in around 3 months and I’m so lost and so scared if I joined the right path for myself, I’ve always dreamt of working for a car company like BMW or Porsche or Mercedes or even Toyota, all I’ve ever done is just dream, I never actually thought or searched up how to do anything to achieve it, I’m asking this now,

I want to work for BMW/Porsche(or any car company) as an engineer for them, how can I possibly achieve it?

What are the pros and cons of being an automotive engineer?

Is engineering really that bad in college?

If I am to possibly work for a car company what type of benefits would they give me?

Also to any engineers reading this, how has your life been in engineering? I really want to know everything about automotive engineering since I will probably be working in it when I graduate from college

Ty to anyone that read all of this and I’m so sorry if I wrote something wrong English isn’t really my best language lol