Psychoacoustics in the automotive industry

Sound quality assessment has become an integral part of product design in the automotive industry. Car manufacturers have realized that the sound produced by vehicles is not only a noise pollutant but also a desired acoustic signal which provides feedback to a driver and conveys information about the functioning of the car. Moreover, many customers believe that sound quality gives them an idea of the quality of the vehicle. Since extensive research studies on sound quality are conducted by the automotive industry, noise control engineers and car designers need education in psychoacoustics and other areas related to sound quality judgment or assessment. Listeners who take part in jury panels need systematic listening skills training. This paper describes the basic areas of psychoacoustic research that are of interest to the automotive industry. The article also discusses an educational program in sound quality assessment for automotive engineers and a method for training technical listening skills, developed for people involved in the perceptual evaluation of car sounds.