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Development mule

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Porsche 918 Spyder development mule in Monaco
Two Nissan GT-R "Black Mask" test mules on a truck in Japan
A BMW near Munich in October 2013

A development mule or a test mule in the automotive industry is a testbed vehicle equipped with experimental or prototype components for evaluation.

Automakers assess new aspects of vehicles before a full pre-production car is built to find problems. Mules are drivable, often years ahead of actual production,[1] often in the wake of a concept car that lacked critical mechanical components.

Mules may also have advanced chassis and powertrain designs from a prospective vehicle that need testing, effectively achieved concealed in the body and interior of a similarly sized production model.[2][3]

Mules may also be based on another manufacturer's model if no comparable vehicle is available in-house or if an external benchmark is being used. For example, in the 1970s the first-generation Ford Fiesta was developed using mules based on the then class-leading Fiat 127, as Ford had no comparable compact model of similar size to utilize.

Mules are also used to conceal styling changes and visible telltales of performance alterations, receiving varying degrees of camouflage to deceive rival makers and thwart a curious automotive press. Such alterations can span from distracting shrinkwrap designs to substituting crude cylindric shapes taillights, non-standard wheels, or concoctions of plastic and tape to hide the vehicle's shape and design.[4]

Development mules are most often used very heavily during testing[5] and are scrapped. In unusual cases, test mules were acquired by members of the automaker's engineering team.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Spycam: 2010 Ford Mustang". Motor Trend. December 2007. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  2. ^ Healey, James R. (2009-08-14). "Drivers could get a charge out of Chevrolet Volt". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  3. ^ McCraw, Jim (September 1992). "Sneak Previews of U.S. Cars to Come". Popular Science. 241 (3): 68–72. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  4. ^ Dunne, Jim (December 1991). "Detroit Spy Report". Popular Mechanics. 168 (12): 108. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  5. ^ For example, "...pushed the development mule to 150.583 mph (242.340 km/h)..." Schorr, Martyn L. (March 1993). "Show of Force". Popular Mechanics. 180 (3): 59. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  6. ^ Truesdell, Richard. "John Goergen's 1966 343 prototype" (PDF). Musclecar Enthusiast: 59. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  7. ^ Ohio AMX (2007-06-07). "1966 Drivable AMX Prototype". Retrieved 2011-09-13.

See also

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