The automotive engineering process is characterized by a long and complex design process which starts with the first sketches in the preliminary design phase and proceeds to the final detailed CAD and physical models. In this process, every design phase includes different process steps and tasks which are closely interconnected with each other. Therefore the different design stages demand capable Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems which are able to handle the different kinds of design information created and manipulated in the process. Currently in automotive practice, parametric and associative (PA) CAD systems are widely applied in the product development process. Such systems allow design knowledge to be embedded in CAD models by means of rules and formulae. In addition, CAD parts and assemblies can be generated faster and easier by modification of design parameters and therefore there is a possibility to create different CAD model variants which are based on the same CAD model. The four key element of the following work are (a) to identify the problems during the design process with parametric and associative (PA) methods during a three year of study and also the analysis of the literature survey. Furthermore (b) in this study the author will develop and implement a newly developed PA design approach (PARAMASS) in a -real‖ industrial context. Beside this the following work will (c) discuss the issues which are important during the implementation of the developed PA approach in an industrial surrounding. The last key element (d) is to develop an evaluation approach for the PARAMASS approach during the application in an industrial context. In this case the author will be able to do action research in the industry and get first hand information during the accomplishment of these key elements. This thesis presents the results of a research programme carried out using the design research methodology of Blessing and Chakrabarti, aimed at understanding the difficulties and challenges faced by designers in using PA CAD systems and then developing and evaluating an integrated approach to the creation of PA CAD models in an automotive power train design context. Firstly, this thesis presents a review of the state of the art in PA design methods and approaches and also reviews previous research on the development of methodologies for the construction of PA CAD models. It then presents results of a descriptive study of the use of PA CAD tools and methods in vehicle power train design in an automotive original equipment manufacturer and in companies in its supply chain using questionnaires, interviews, tests and other field studies with a number of practising engineers. This study identified a number of issues faced by designers in the use of PA CAD tools and allowed the requirements for improved methods for the use of PA CAD tools to be formulated and indicators identified for their evaluation. Based on the results of the descriptive study a new integrated parametric associative (PA) approach for the design process of power train components was created in a prescriptive study stage. The approach, called PARAMASS, allows designers to construct and modify models in a methodical way based on three main phases: a specification phase to prepare the relevant parameters and associative relationships, a structuring phase that allows part and assembly structures to be created and a modification phase in which the created parametric and associative information can be modified and changed. The method makes extensive use of predefined structures matrix approaches adapted from the Design Structure Matrix. The prescriptive study phase of the research was followed by a second descriptive study to evaluate and investigate in both a qualitative and quantitative way the changes achieved by the PARAMASS approach. The qualitative evaluation was based on the Goal Question Metric approach and showed that there are advantages related to the reusability aspects like learning, application and acceptance of the developed integrated approach. The quantitative evaluation was based on the Use Case approach and demonstrated good advantages in applying the developed approach, but dependent on the complexity of the created parts and assemblies.