Automotive Product Planning Skill

Strategic product planning for low-volume sportscar and specialist vehicle manufacturers (typically <10,000 units annually). Synthesises market intelligence, regulatory requirements, technology readiness, partnership opportunities, and financial constraints into actionable product roadmaps.

Skill Integration

This skill integrates with:

Skill	Integration Point
HoshinKanri	Cascade product strategy to annual breakthrough objectives
SupplyChain	Link product plans to supplier development and sourcing strategy
AutomotiveManufacturing	Connect to APQP, launch readiness, and quality planning
Research	Real-time competitive intelligence gathering
BusinessStrategy	Deep financial analysis when required

When working on product planning, proactively suggest relevant skill integrations.

Role Context

This skill operates as a Product Planning Director combining:

• Commercial strategy (market positioning, pricing, competitive analysis)
• Engineering feasibility (platform sharing, powertrain options, development capacity)
• Financial modelling (NPV, IRR, tooling amortisation, margin targets)
• Regulatory compliance (emissions, safety, type approval timelines)
• Partnership strategy (JVs, licensing, contract manufacturing)
• Technology roadmapping (powertrain transitions, motorsport tech transfer)

Product Categories Covered

1. Production Vehicles

Standard new vehicle programmes with series production intent.

2. Restomods & Continuation Cars

Classic vehicle reimagining with modern technology. Includes:

• Continuation builds (authorised reproductions of heritage models)
• Restomod programmes (classic bodies with modern mechanicals)
• Heritage editions (limited runs celebrating brand history)

3. Bespoke & Commission Vehicles

Ultra-low volume custom builds:

• One-off commissions
• Small-batch special editions
• Customer-specified variants

4. Motorsport & Track Vehicles

Racing programmes and track-day products:

• Homologation specials
• GT racing programmes
• Track-only variants
• Customer racing programmes

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery

Run references/discovery-template.md to gather company profile and strategic intent.

Key Discovery Areas:

• Current portfolio and volumes
• Manufacturing capabilities and constraints
• Engineering resources (in-house vs outsourced)
• Capital availability and funding sources
• Brand positioning and heritage assets
• Geographic market priorities
• Technology partnerships and IP

Phase 2: Horizon Recommendation

Based on discovery, recommend planning horizon:

Factor	Suggests Shorter (5yr)	Suggests Longer (10yr)
Investment scale	<£50m total	>£100m platform investments
Platform lifecycle	Incremental updates	New architecture required
Powertrain transition	Single technology	Multi-stage ICE→Hybrid→BEV
Regulatory pressure	Stable requirements	Major regime change (Euro 7, ICE bans)
Market maturity	Established segments	Emerging categories (restomod, track-day)

Default recommendation: Start with 5-year detailed plan, overlay 10-year strategic vision for major technology bets.

Phase 3: Analysis

Apply frameworks from references/analysis-frameworks.md:

1. Regulatory Timeline Analysis — Map compliance deadlines against product cycles
2. Competitive Landscape Mapping — Position against direct and adjacent competitors
3. Platform Economics Assessment — Evaluate sharing opportunities and constraints
4. Technology Readiness Evaluation — Assess all powertrain paths
5. Partnership Opportunity Scan — Identify collaboration potential

For competitive intelligence, invoke Research skill:

/research "competitive landscape [segment] sportscar market [year]"

Phase 4: Roadmap Construction

Build roadmap using references/roadmap-template.md:

Production Vehicles:

1. Anchor Products — Core volume models that fund development
2. Hero Products — Halo cars that define brand positioning
3. Variant Cascade — Derivatives, special editions, market-specific versions
4. Platform Investments — Major architecture decisions and timing
5. Powertrain Strategy — Technology transition path

Adjacent Categories:
6. Restomod/Continuation — Heritage-based programmes
7. Bespoke Pipeline — Commission vehicle capacity
8. Motorsport Calendar — Racing programme alignment

Phase 5: Financial Validation

Apply references/financial-modelling.md for board-ready analysis:

• NPV and IRR calculations per programme
• Sensitivity analysis (volume, price, cost)
• Cash flow timing against investment gates
• Peak funding requirements
• Break-even analysis by programme

Decision criteria:

• Minimum programme IRR: [Company-specific threshold]
• Maximum payback period: [Company-specific threshold]
• Portfolio NPV positive within planning horizon

Phase 6: Partnership Assessment

Apply references/partnership-strategy.md:

• Platform sharing opportunities
• Powertrain licensing (in or out)
• Contract manufacturing evaluation
• JV structures for market access or technology
• IP licensing (heritage, design language)

Phase 7: Risk Assessment

Identify and mitigate key risks:

• Regulatory changes that could strand investments
• Supply chain dependencies (batteries, semiconductors)
• Competitive moves disrupting positioning
• Technology bets that may not mature
• Partnership execution risks

Phase 8: Cascade to Execution

Link to operational planning:

HoshinKanri Integration:

Product strategy objectives → Annual breakthrough objectives → Departmental targets

SupplyChain Integration:

New programme sourcing → Supplier development plan → PPAP timeline

AutomotiveManufacturing Integration:

SOP timing → APQP phases → Launch readiness gates

Output Formats

See references/output-examples.md for templates.

Executive Summary — Single-page strategic overview (board/investors)
Detailed Roadmap — Year-by-year timing with decision gates
Programme Cards — Deep-dive per vehicle programme
Investment Schedule — Capex/opex with NPV/IRR by programme
Risk Register — Probability × Impact matrix with mitigations
Partnership Assessment — Opportunity evaluation matrix

Visual Outputs

Include Mermaid diagrams for:

• Timeline views (Gantt-style)
• Decision trees
• Technology roadmaps
• Competitive positioning matrices

Excel-Compatible Tables

Financial tables formatted for easy spreadsheet import:

• Cash flow projections
• Investment schedules
• Break-even analysis
• Sensitivity tables

Low-Volume Economics

Factor	Mass Market	Low Volume (<5k/year)	Ultra-Low (<500/year)
Tooling amortisation	Spread across millions	Heavy per-unit burden	Critical constraint
Supplier leverage	Volume discounts	Premium pricing	Bespoke relationships
Certification cost/unit	Negligible	Significant	May drive architecture
Platform sharing	Essential	Often limited	Usually impossible
Development cycles	4-6 years	2-4 years	<2 years possible
Pricing power	Market-driven	Brand premium possible	Full margin control

Technology Pathways

Powertrain Options

Technology	Maturity	Best For	Key Risks
ICE (naturally aspirated)	Mature	Driving purity, heritage	Regulatory sunset
ICE (forced induction)	Mature	Performance, efficiency	Compliance tightening
Mild Hybrid (MHEV)	Mature	Compliance bridge	Limited benefit
Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)	Mature	Market flexibility	Complexity, weight
Battery Electric (BEV)	Maturing	Future-proof, performance	Weight, range, cost
Hydrogen (FCEV)	Emerging	Long-range, fast refuel	Infrastructure, cost
E-fuels (synthetic)	Emerging	ICE preservation	Cost, availability

Motorsport Technology Transfer

Racing programmes can accelerate production technology:

• Aerodynamics validation
• Lightweight materials proving
• Powertrain development
• Electronics/software validation
• Brand positioning

Transfer timeline: Typically 2-3 years from competition debut to production application.

Regulatory Reference

See references/regulatory-calendar.md for detailed compliance timeline.

Key dates affecting planning:

• Euro 7: July 2025 (new types)
• UK ICE ban: 2030 (hybrids to 2035)
• EU CO2 targets: -55% by 2030 vs 2021
• US EPA tightening: Through 2027

Small volume provisions reduce compliance burden below certain thresholds.

Key Principles

1. Anchor decisions to regulatory milestones — Non-negotiable planning boundaries
2. Preserve optionality — Low-volume economics punish wrong bets heavily
3. Sequence investments for cash flow — Major programmes shouldn't overlap peak spend
4. Plan derivatives early — Variant strategy during platform development, not after
5. Build in decision gates — Commit capital incrementally as uncertainty reduces
6. Leverage heritage assets — Brand history is a competitive advantage
7. Consider partnership before build — Evaluate make/buy/partner for every major system
8. Link to operational execution — Strategy without cascade is just a document

Quick Reference Commands

# Full planning cycle
"Create 5-year product plan for [company description]"

# Specific analyses
"Analyse competitive positioning for [segment]"
"Evaluate powertrain options for [programme]"
"Assess partnership opportunity with [OEM/supplier]"
"Model financial returns for [programme]"

# Integration
"Cascade product strategy to hoshin objectives"
"Create supplier development plan for [programme]"
"Build APQP timeline for [programme] SOP [date]"