About Us

In order to continuously improve their products, car manufacturers regularly study in depth the dimensions / measurements of the vehicles of their competitors for evaluation and learning purposes. For that, they gather public data and documents and even dismantle series vehicles to measure them.

The data helps car manufacturers to define and implement better engineering practices and concepts, such as, inter alia, a more efficient use of interior space for safer and more comfortable passenger accommodation, optimized production methods, improved ergonomics, and aerodynamics.

To avoid costly and repetitive operations, it was decided to set up an exchange platform to make the data on dimensions / measurements comparable and directly available among members.

What we do

The GCIE members:

• review and update the definitions and descriptions of the data as determined in the Package Drawings & Dimension List

• evaluate proposals on new dimensions and measurements and adopt new definitions to keep up with the latest technical developments

• exchange geometrical dimensions and measurements of series production vehicles (CAD wireframe and surface data, as well as the filled-in Dimensions Sheet ) and the official owner’s manuals for the vehicles exchanged

• may contribute on a voluntary basis to the reviewing and updating of international standards.

Our Commitment

GCIE members commit to conduct all their activities in the context of GCIE in full compliance with competition law; we acknowledge that this means that no individual strategic information may be shared in the context of GCIE.

GCIE members warrant that their respective representatives are duly trained in the area of competition law; information disclosed should in view hereof be limited to technical car measurements as determined in the Package Drawings & Dimension List.

Without limitation, GCIE members acknowledge that information shared in the context of GCIE may not extend to prices and other vehicle-related information, nor will GCIE members agree or otherwise align on the measurements of the vehicles they develop.

History

Between 1975-1980 some of the German car manufacturers launched a working group which, as the membership grew, became the European Car manufacturers Information Exchange Group (ECIE), to define the rules and standards for exchanging aligned vehicle dimensions to realise cost savings and obtain better quality competitor data compared to information from Coordinate Measuring Machine measurements. Subsequently, they began exchanging hard copy package drawings which were supplemented in 2004 by Digital formats, with the requirement for a paper version being retired in 2009.

At the annual meeting in 2000, the decision was made to open the group to the whole world and to reflect this, the name was changed to Global Car Manufacturers information Exchange Group in 2003 in recognition that American manufacturers had been contributing data through their European counterparts; in 2004, GMNA was the first non-European Manufacturer to join in their own right and we have been expanding membership ever since.

In 2003, a task force was created to harmonise SAE J1100 and current GCIE definition (DIN, ISO) to get a basis for world wide standardization

In 2006, we began using our first logo in documents although it was not officially adopted as the GCIE logo until 2012 and it wasn't until 2020 when we started this website that the new logo was designed in 2021 with website usage in mind.