Praga Cars delivers the Bohema super sports car

The new Praga Bohema sports car is the work of the Czechoslovak car manufacturer Praga Cars, a company with a rich history in the automotive industry dating back to 1907. Praga Bohema combines the brand’s historical legacy with modern technologies and innovations. The development of this supercar was driven by the desire to offer customers a unique combination of performance, luxury, and exclusivity. Bohema was designed to create a car that is not only fast and agile on the road or racetrack but also provides exceptional comfort and an adrenaline-pumping driving experience.

Chief Design Engineer Mr. Ondřej Chotovinský has extensive experience in the automotive industry. Throughout his career, he has participated in various projects for companies such as Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Gordon Murray, Honda, and London Taxi Company. On his journey, he’s the most grateful for the continuous opportunity to meet experts, innovators, and creatives with rich experience and unconventional ideas in the automotive industry. “I lead a team of passionate engineers responsible for a wide range of projects, from the conceptual phase through prototype production and testing to final production. Our engineering team closely collaborates with other departments, suppliers, and external specialists to integrate advanced technologies, materials, and innovative processes to ensure our solutions meet industry standards, fulfill high-quality requirements, and add value for our customers.”

Streamlining design and manufacturing

Praga Cars faced the challenge of unifying the various CAD systems the engineers were accustomed to using. Data work wasn’t yet fully optimized. Given the Praga Bohema project’s complexity, it was crucial to switch to a unified PLM/CAD system to streamline future development.

The transition to a new system usually requires time, training, and adaptation to new workflows. For CATIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform users, this transition is relatively smooth. However, for others accustomed to different CAD tools or those who have never worked with a PLM system, a new environment can initially be stressful. This change disrupts established workflows, potentially leading to a temporary decrease in productivity. To successfully overcome these challenges, we chose a strategy of gradual system implementation. This approach allowed us to handle gradual data integration better and minimize the risk of disrupting development.

“I first started working with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on a project in Maranello in 2019. I was part of a small team where Ferrari wanted to test and evaluate the benefits of implementing the 3DEXPERIENCE platform into the development phase of a sports car. In addition to a more visually modern and attractive environment, we, as engineers, appreciated the improved user interface and straightforward integration with the PLM system. During the prototype phase, this solution significantly facilitated data navigation, saving precious time,” adds Chotovinský.

“After four years, we can say that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform has brought many quantitative advantages. The most significant include a 10-30% increase in engineer productivity and a 20-30% reduction in the conceptual cycle.”

Ondřej Chotovinský, Chief Design Engineer, Praga Cars

The development department at Praga Cars has been using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for four years now. The main reason for its implementation was to streamline collaboration and communication among engineers during the development of the Bohema supercar. This is crucial for startups, which often work in small teams and need quick and seamless information sharing. At the same time, it was necessary to set up basic methodologies for data and process consistency and integrity throughout the development.

For larger companies, implementing and using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform can be complicated due to the range of functionalities and organizational needs. This requires careful planning, user training, and adapting integration processes. “For our smaller team, the key challenge was retraining the engineers who initially used a wide range of CAD tools to a unified PLM system and adopting the platform as an efficient tool for future development. We overcame these challenges through a strategic approach and collaboration with TECHNODAT, which helped us successfully deploy the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and maximize its value.”

Today, they manage all development and production data in a single system. This has eliminated unnecessary administrative tasks, improved internal collaboration, and enhanced cooperation with suppliers, pushing the project toward successful implementation.

What’s next for Praga Cars?

This year, Praga Cars aims to deliver several vehicles to its customers. Therefore, most of their efforts focus on final testing and the production phase. They need to set up manufacturing processes to meet deadlines and smoothly cover demand. “Once we manage to meet the expectations of our first customers, demand will increase, and we will start to see a return on our investments, allowing us to smoothly proceed to further steps and also transfer all of our experience into future projects in Praga.,” adds Chotovinský, reflecting on the future of Praga Cars.

This is a guest post from trusted Dassault Systèmes business partner, TECHNODAT.