[Mathew]

what do they build/make first, the new engine(if there is one) or the new body???

I was thinking about if a company made a new, revolutionary engine for their next production development, what would happen if it didnt fit under the hood? Do they make the new body style, and see how big of an engine they can put in, or do they design the body style around the engine? Or is it a little bit of both??

The engine is the heart and soul of the car, but the body is the most visible part....

 

[Hercules]

I'm happy with BMW's power though the 3 series and 5 could use a boost to stay in line with competition....

What I'm looking for is an upgraded interior, work on suspension and such, all that fun stuff

A body style is just icing, so long as they keep the weight down.

 

[Kaz]

It seems like real production cars (as opposed to non-working concepts) are made to fit existing, or close-to-existing mechanicals.

Conversely if some new mechanical component is developed its probably with the idea that it will either be a 'drop-in' or if its totally out-of-whack that something viably producible could be built around it.

For example, I'd doubt that Valvetronic would ever have been designed such that any car with it would need a foot-high hump in the middle of the hood.