SUBARU: Accelerates "Monozukuri Innovation" with INCA‑FLOW

SUBARU is currently in the midst of a major transformation period for the entire automotive industry. To create attractive products that respond flexibly to market trends, they are committed to "Monozukuri Innovation" and "Value Creation." To cope with a discontinuous and rapidly changing environment, a shift in traditional development methods is indispensable, and the engine development department is also promoting method optimization and automation. Within this context, in‑vehicle testing required direct manipulation of test equipment and vehicle components like pedals and shifters, preventing automation from permeating and hindering an increase in development efficiency.

SUBARU is further leveraging INCA‑FLOW and promoting in‑vehicle test automation in collaboration with equipment manufacturers. The new test equipment is now fitted with dynamometers capable of linking to INCA‑FLOW via CAN, enabling automated operation not only for steady‑state tests but also for drivability evaluations. In addition, driving robots that operate the vehicle in place of humans are now connected via CAN, expanding automation to include pedal control during driving as well as start‑up tests inside environmental chambers. In the future, by incorporating test point exploration functions through analysis and optimization tools into the program, they aim to further reduce test time. By effectively utilizing equipment that are currently idle overnight through autonomous operation, they plan to compress the overall test period.

Automating in‑vehicle testing with INCA-FLOW delivers a wide range of benefits beyond simply reducing test time. These include lowering health risks for test engineers, enhancing safety during calibration work, and removing dependence on individual expertise. In terms of efficiency, the approach has demonstrated test‑time reductions of up to 68% compared with conventional manual testing performed by engineers. We consider the greatest benefit of automation to be the ability to run these highly efficient tests by anyone and at any time. As the use of engine dynamometers and driving robots continues to take hold, their department expects to achieve development‑period reductions of up to 35%. As the next step, they are deepening integration with data‑processing tools to speed up calibration tasks, including data analysis, and are positioning themselves for a shift toward more advanced data‑driven development. Moreover, the potential for autonomous robotic testing is raising expectations that nighttime use of equipment will enable even further reductions in development lead time. By introducing and leveraging INCA‑FLOW, SUBARU is realizing multifaceted benefits that extend well beyond mere time reduction, supporting meaningful progress toward the “Monozukuri Innovation” initiative and its ambitious target of halving development lead times.