Automotive News - September 22, 2008 - (Page 20)

20 • SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 continued from Page 18 INSIGHT ▼ Wind tunnel Mazda’s Taiki concept — which the company says has an exterior that “embodies celestial robes waving on a breeze” — has an extremely efficient drag coefficient of 0.25. One reason: The distinctive shape around the rear wheels forms a “tunnel that channels air flowing back from the front fender to the rear fender.” Sleeker angle The Toyota A-BAT concept truck — A-BAT stands for advanced breakthrough aerodynamic truck — uses the Toyota Prius “trapezoid” silhouette, says designer Matt Sperling. That includes the sleek front window and fast-angle A and C pillars. Narrower gaps Chevrolet Traverse designer Dan Schmeckpeper said special attention was paid to the gaps between exterior panels. Smaller gaps aid airflow over the body. The Traverse has a drag coefficient of 0.33, low for a crossover. Traverse designers focused on what they call the tire-tobody relationship, optimizing airflow over the fenders and around the rubber. Up on the roof The roof of the 2009 Ford F-150 pickup angles slightly downward toward the rear. It may not look slick, but Ford designers say wind tunnel data prove it has an aero advantage. The tailgate on the new Ford F-150 pickup has a lip that helps channel air out of the box and over the tailgate, trimming wind resistance. Low rider One aerodynamic rule of thumb: The lower, the better. This is because the air pressure is higher closer to the ground. The GMC Denali XT concept has a suspension that lowers on smooth highways, letting less air pass underneath. Wheel (flare) not reinvented When it came time to design the production version of the Chevrolet Volt, much of the concept car’s racy style was sacrificed to aerodynamic purity. But the cool wheel flares were unchanged. Said Volt design director Bob Boniface: “We played with the angle and the speed. With just a little extra angle, the air starts to become turbulent and detached and tumbles down the side of the car.” The Volt has soft corners on the front to keep air attached to the body. But it has hard corners on the rear. Says Bob Boniface: “When the air leaves the car, you want clean separation, so you need a crisp edge in the back of the car.” And No mirrors: Side mirrors are an aerodynamic hardship. A solution: Replace the mirrors with tiny cameras, as in the Saturn Flextreme concept. Air deflectors: Some of the better aerodynamic tweaks take place out of sight, like the horseshoe-shaped air deflectors ahead of the front wheels on the Mazda6. The deflectors manage airflow to the front brakes and direct the air out beneath the chassis. Hidden wipers: Many manufacturers work hard to minimize airflow around the windshield wipers. Designers of the three-wheel Aptera vehicle hide the wipers at the base of the windshield. Light location: The Dodge Journey SUV’s center high-mounted stop light is in the liftgate header of the vehicle to aid aerodynamics. Escape spoiled: Redesigning the front bumper spoiler to better manage airflow helped the 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers achieve an overall 1 mpg gain in fuel economy. Tuck and run: Ford and other manufacturers offer power-operated running boards that deploy when the doors open and tuck back under the body when the doors close. The Lincoln Navigator first offered MSX International is the leading global provider of outsourced business solutions, integrating automotive best practices, processes, people & technology. Integrated outsourced solutions that drive cross-brand business performance & signiﬁcant ﬁnancial improvements for dealers worldwide: Predict Customer Behavior and Expand Dealership Customer & Prospect Trafﬁc Maximize Service, Aftersales & Repair Revenues Increase New, Used & Certiﬁed Pre-owned Vehicle Sales Improve Parts & Accessories Sales Expand F&I and Aftermarket Revenues Develop Dealership Staff into Peak Performers Deliver Sustainable Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty Let our worldwide automotive experts make our experience work for you: Tailored solutions that deliver, year after year, proven ROI to dealers worldwide Flexible pay-for-performance agreements tightly aligned with dealer expectations power running boards in 2003, and others have figured out that there’s no need for those air-grabbers to hang out in the wind. Air ’n the hood: The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR has a sophisticated underhood design that manages airflow, bringing air into the engine compartment and managing it with two pressure zones before channeling the air back out. Accord spoiler: The Honda Accord Hybrid may not have been a major sales success, but it was the only Accord with a standard rear spoiler. It looked like a performance feature, but the spoiler was there to improve aerodynamics. Out from under: A lower air dam on the hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon helps redirect airflow from underneath the vehicle to reduce turbulence and drag. All in one: A challenge for pickup designers has been managing the airflow around the gap between the body and bed. One way to eliminate that is with a unibody truck design, like the one on the upcoming Pontiac G8 ST. The bed and cab are one unit. — Steven Cole Smith, Rick Kranz, Hans Greimel and Richard Truett www.msxi.com North America (Global HQ) +1 248 829 6300 Asia Paciﬁc Benelux Eastern Europe France Germany (Euro HQ) +61 (0)3 9693 9900 +31 (0)318 58 03 40 + 420 222 191 378 +33 (0)1 47 60 44 00 +49 (0)221 947 000 Italy Scandinavia South America Spain & Portugal United Kingdom +39 +46 +55 +34 +44 06 91637 1 (0)31 337 88 40 11 2158 6900 (0)91 392 083 0 (0)1206 767 611 http://www.msxi.com http://www.msxi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - September 22, 2008

Credit-crunched BMW to cut volume and jobs in U.S. Did dealer pitch have a catch? Henderson will keynote World Congress Suppliers: Chrysler jury a worry Learn how going green can be good for business Hyundai hesitates on i10 Ram launches with incentive Dodge RamBox cost: $1,895 Toyota seeks bids to build A-BAT Volt: A pricey short hauler? A horse of a different, uh, color Delphi work moves to N.Y. from plant in Mexico GM store count down 226 so far this year Bill Heard shuts Arizona dealership Would Mazda2 hurt Mazda3? Chrysler dealers may see Volt fighter GM gets more bucks for its 4-bangers GM's '09 list prices rise 2.7% Suppliers seek piece of loan package Don't attach too many strings to federal loans Cars run on money and credit, not gas The workplace is a democracy? Free Choice Act must be defeated Extreme makeover Logo no go A 4-cylinder Cadillac? Get real A double standard on idle workers? Free Choice Act means no choice Saccucci: Let's hear it for free enterprise Dealers signal support for 35% estate tax rate Dealers Designing for MPG Slippery styling What happened to Volt's racy design? Aerodynamics Belletech will supply Honda in Indiana Practicality will top panache at Paris show Chrysler seeks to build loyalty with service Band buddies Personnel Auction group's new boss sees dip in volumes Wholesale prices of big used trucks rise 8.6% in August Big-truck sales off 22.6% in Aug. August sales in Europe worse than in U.S. Honda will let supplier assemble on-site at Ohio plant Farley: Retool image for era of the small car O'Donnell: No stranger to U.S. Honda to debut camera, airbag American Axle lands contract Ex-Ford dealer prevails in court Dodge plans Web blitz for Ram Federal-Mogul will idle 4,000 Sparks will fly over GM, Toyota plug-ins Negotiations fail; chaos (allegedly) ensues Bo plays defense, helps GM avoid weather woes Critics say the new Volt was jolt Lithium, schmithium-- Will the ladies like it? Small and beautiful-- mutually exclusive? Where Andrea Pininfarina saw design headed Designers think small to make it big Designers can't ignore history Pretty and petite Toyota goes its own way with green designs The elements of style It's difficult to design fuel efficiency into big pickups Specialty-car maker has bright design ideas Form follows fashion Vehicle designers aim to please Chinese Suppliers to the 2009 Dodge Ram Eaton will equip '09 VW Golf IAV to move into new tech center BorgWarner makes Tesla deal Mann plans 4th China plant NovaCast buys into Korean firm Valeo shifts rear-light work Supplier personnel

Automotive News - September 22, 2008

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