Vehicle Model

The basic type of a vehicle of which there can be several variations. Vehicle models are defined in the SAP system as configurable materials with additional model data. You can use the same material master record for several different vehicle models.

You can use this object as a basis for creating vehicles. In the vehicle model master for a vehicle model, you enter information which is relevant for each vehicle of this model.

Vehicle Model as Copy Template for Vehicles
When you create a vehicle, the system copies data from the vehicle model to the vehicle. If you change a vehicle model, the changes do not affect data already copied from the vehicle model to a vehicle.
There are optional fields, for example regarding fuel consumption, engine performance, and the number of doors. If this information is not the same for all vehicles of a certain vehicle model, do not populate these fields. These fields are then empty when you create a vehicle based on this vehicle model.
You can use the Business Add-In /DBE/BADI_VEHICLE_API to determine how data is copied from the vehicle model to a vehicle. The relevant methods are BEFORE_VEHICLE_SET and BEFORE_VEHICLE_SAVE.
As vehicle model data is simply copied from the vehicle model to the vehicle, you can change the information copied in the vehicle master afterwards. This means that values defined in the model master are proposed values.
The fact that you can change values in the vehicle master, including those copied from model master can mean that the values in the vehicle master are not the same as those in the model master. If you do not want to allow this situation, you can ensure that the values copied from model master to vehicle master cannot be changed in the vehicle master. To do this, you must change the UI of vehicle master.

Model Catalog
In VSS, vehicle models are grouped in model catalogs. You can, for example, define a model catalog for each vehicle brand.
In Customizing, you can define model catalogs and also specify how the system determines model catalogs. In the standard system, the model catalog is assigned the combination of division and country, and is determined accordingly.
When working in the vehicle model (transaction /DBE/VMODEL), usually the first step is to select the model catalog that you want to work with. If a certain user generally works on models of one model catalog, you can assign this model catalog to the user by using parameter ID /DBE/MCATALOG in the Parameters tab of the Maintain User Profile screen (transaction SU3).

Model Data
This section of the vehicle model contains the general data that describes the vehicle model.
In VSS, the Model Sales Code is the key for a vehicle model. You use the model sales code when you enter a vehicle model somewhere in the application. The Labor Value Main Type is used to determine the correct labor value target time for labor values.
The Pricing Group can be used for vehicle-related pricing.
You can define some values, for example Vehicle Make and Body Type in Customizing for Vehicle Sales and Service (VSS) under Vehicle > General Data.
Most of the data entered in this section does not influence the business process but serves information purposes only.
If a model is not required any more or is not needed yet, you can set it to Inactive by using the corresponding flag in vehicle model master.
In the standard setup, the Model Service Code is used for package determination.

Model Texts
Model texts are language dependent texts and long texts that describe the vehicle model.
To switch languages, enter another language in the Language field. You can then edit the model texts in the language selected.
On the model master screen, in Edit Vehicle Model Master (transaction /DBE/VMODEL), you can display the model texts that were entered when the model was created. The model descriptions corresponding to the reference material of the model catalog is not displayed in the model master.

Model Prices
The model purchase price and the model sales price are the base prices for the vehicle model. When you create a vehicle sales order or a vehicle sales quotation for a vehicle of pricing type 1, the system copies these prices from the vehicle master to the vehicle item within the VSS order document.
The model prices do not contain the prices for additional vehicle features. The feature prices can be maintained separately for each feature key.
The model prices are only relevant when price type 1 (New Vehicles) applies for the vehicle's business transaction type. For more information, see Customizing for Vehicle Sales and Service (VSS) under Vehicle > Vehicle Master > Define Business Transaction Type.

Engine Data
The engine data specify the main information around the vehicle engine – split into areas like engine type, efficiency, capacities, performance, consumption, electric range and charging times.
For some units of measure fields like e.g. “L” for the Fuel Tank Capacity you can define proposals by parameter values in the customizing for Vehicle Sales and Service (VSS) under Vehicle > Define Control Values > Define Unit of Measurement Control Value.
You can define some values, for example Fuel Type, Battery Type or Charging Type in customizing for Vehicle Sales and Service (VSS) under Vehicle > General Data.
The data entered in this section does not influence the business process but serves information purposes only.

Material Data 
Each vehicle model must be assigned to a material master record. The material master must be a configurable material.
When creating a vehicle model, you can assign an existing material master record to the vehicle model.
Alternatively, you can create a new material master record for the vehicle model. This only works if an appropriate material master record is already assigned to the model catalog to which the vehicle model will belong to as vehicle reference material. The reason for this is that in the vehicle model master, hardly any material master data can be provided so that for a new material master, most data is copied from the vehicle reference material assigned to the model catalog.
The material master used for vehicle models needs to fulfill certain prerequisites. The most important are:

• Use material type VEHI, or similar

• Assign a class of type 300 to the material

• Provide sales organization data as well as purchasing data

• In the accounting 1 view, use valuation category X

The material assigned to the vehicle model is used to determine the vehicle action control in transaction VELOS. Therefore the lifecycle of the vehicle is influenced by the material it is assigned to.
When you enter texts in the model master in the Model Text 1 field and descriptions for the template material for the selected model catalog, the material description of the newly created material in the material master is affected as follows:

• If you do not enter any text in a given language, the text in the language of the vehicle reference material is used for the descriptions of the new material in the material master.

• When the selected language you use for the model text is not present in the description of the reference material, the text entered into the Model Text 1 field is added to the description of the new material in the material master.

• When the selected language you use for the model text is present in the description of the reference material, and you enter a text in the Model Text 1 field, the newly entered text is used for the description of the new material in material master.

Features
The features, also called options, are mainly used to describe vehicles in more detail. In VSS, this functionality replaces the variant configuration.
The features defined in model master are the features which are made available in vehicle master when you use the input help. The vehicle master does not check if the values you enter are contained in the list of predefined features in vehicle model master. This is based on the assumption that the vehicle model master data cannot always be kept up to date so that vehicles with other features than those predefined in vehicle model master need to be created.
The materials assigned to features are used for the creation of items in VSS vehicle orders and vehicle quotations.

Feature Classes
In vehicle model master, there are several different features classes. The purposes and the usages within the application differ:

• A – Accessories

Accessories are used for vehicle features which are typically handled by the dealer and not by the importer or manufacturer of the vehicle. Examples include car mats or a rear spoiler. These are relevant for stock keeping. Therefore the usage of materials of type HAWA is recommended.

• C – Color

The exterior color of the vehicle. As the exterior color is part of the vehicle itself, materials of type NLAG are recommended.

• D – Outbound Delivery

This feature class can be used to define the different types of vehicle delivery to the end customer (for example collect at the dealership, collect at the manufacturing plant, and so on), as well as the cost for each type. For materials, use material type NLAG.

• I – Upholstery

The upholstery of the vehicle. As the upholstery is part of the vehicle itself, materials of type NLAG are recommended.

• M – Other

Feature class M does not have a purpose in the standard implementation. You can use it for your own features class.

• O – Optional Extras

The set of optional extras that can be ordered with a vehicle of a particular model. There can be optional extras which are mutually exclusive, for example different radio systems, but also optional extras which can be combined such as a sun roof and front fog lights. As optional extras are provided by the importer or manufacturer, use material type NLAG.

• S – Standard Features

Similar to optional extras, the standard features are provided by the importer or manufacturer of the vehicle. Therefore the material type is NLAG. Unlike optional extras, the standard features are not selected by the user, but are always part of the vehicle. Standard features are for informative purposes only and usually do not have a price.

• U – Missing Handover Articles

Missing handover items are relevant for the used vehicle procurement process only. On the model master level, you can define which handover articles are expected when a vehicle of a certain model is traded in, for example the warning triangle or the spare wheel. Details are described in the used vehicle trade-in process description.

Feature Categories
Feature categories can be used to further group different features within a feature class, for example to distinguish between metallic colors and non-metallic colors within the feature class Colors.
If there is no requirement to use feature categories, just define one feature category for each feature class.

Enhancement Concept
You can enhance the vehicle model master with additional fields.
The following Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) are available:

• Control Vehicle Model Master APIs

• Control Vehicle Model Master UIs