Fair enough...I'm an outsider too (just a lowly PhD student) and have observed that the car industry has been pretty slow to embrace the customer-driven innovation ideas (and actions) that have taken hold in other areas (software, fashion, toys...look at Lego). Many of you have probably observed the same thing.

That said, I can tell you that the execs, designers, engineers and researchers at DC that I deal with know this is a problem and are tackling it head-on. This project is one of the first in a series of efforts to make customers a more persistant part of the design process.

If anyone would like to help, or knows anyone who could help (a parent or neighbor, for instance) please let me know.

Thanks,
-Ralph