What are the nuances for perceived quality between high and low volume car brands? We spoke to someone who has worked on both sides
Like car design, the route into automotive perceived quality is not exactly straightforward. For Madalina Marcu, head of product quality at McLaren, her career began as a computer science engineer before transitioning into graphic design at Renault, translating engineering details into visuals that could be leveraged by marketing.
Marcu was later tasked with creating a perceived quality department in Bucharest, which would kick off her specialism in the field of PQ. After a move to JLR, Marcu joined McLaren and now heads up a team in the UK. We caught up with Marcu last year as part of a wider feature, and for our January focus on PQ we can share an extended excerpt of that conversation which focussed on the nuances between high and low volume brands.
Marcu and other PQ experts will be joining us for a livestream in March. You can register for that livestream now.
Car Design News: How would you describe perceived quality?
Madalina Marcu: For me, perceived quality is a very broad term and it can be interpreted very differently from one product to another. In the automotive industry there are numerous ways to implement it, often with a big emphasis on gap and flush.
At McLaren, we take a more holistic approach, balancing gap and flush and craftsmanship elements along with other factors such as sound, touch and feeling, to focus on the right cognitive elements. This means…
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