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Showing off
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01/01/2008
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Recent vehicle shows have featured concepts with innovative front-end designs. All very eye catching, but will they make it to the street, asks Steve Snook?
In the January 2007 Concepts issue, European Automotive Design looked at how vehicle stylists were becoming increasingly interested in adding functional features to the rear of the vehicle. Of course, they would never ignore the front of the car – its ‘face’ – and many of the latest concepts have adopted more angular profiles and grill shapes which, when taken with the latest headlighting arrays made possible by LEDs, accentuate the face-like nature of the front end – albeit a rather cartoonish one.
Vehicle designers have for some years been producing concept vehicle front ends with an increasingly anthropomorphic appearance. From the latest crop, the Citroen C-Cactus, Toyota iQ (both shown at IAA Frankfurt), the Toyota 1/X, Nissan Round Box, Subaru G4e and Mitsubishi MiEV Sport (from the Tokyo show) and the Nissan Forum come to mind.
The Nissan Forum, for example, made its debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show this month in Detroit. The vehicle is described as an “exploratory design concept to represent the next revolution in family transportation, closer to a family limousine than minivan”.
“Though respecting the basic layout of a ‘one box’ design, Forum adds a higher level of dramatic styling through its wide stance, high beltline, wide-open visibility and an aggressive front end appearance,” said Bruce Campbell, vice president, design for Nissan Design America. “Design innovations include wide-opening front doors and no B-pillars, creating exceptional access to the second and third row seats. We were able to engineer the lack of B-pillars through use of extra thick reinforced roof and door frames.”
The iQ concept was created at ED2, Toyota’s European design studio in the south of France. The design is based on Toyota’s philosophy of ‘Vibrant Clarity’ – design that is forward looking, intelligent and energetic while retaining a clarity of purpose and function, says Wahei Hirai, managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation’s design activities.
“In an urban environment, people want to express themselves through dynamic and on-the-edge design, but at the same time rational factors such as size, functionality and CO2 emissions cannot be ignored. Bringing these contradictory aims together in synergy was critical to the iQ concept and is a way of thinking we call the ‘J-factor’, a philosophy at the heart of all our activities.
“The exterior is simple and daring with a stable and robust stance enhanced by the width of the vehicle contrasting with its short length. The confident character of the front, in juxtaposition with the small yet strong structure, gives the vehicle an iconic value.”
Two examples of design-speak, maybe, but after all the purpose of a show car is to draw attention – and attract visitors – to the OEM’s stand. These designs can give the company valuable feedback on which ideas excite the buying public, and those which leave us cold or, perhaps worse, amused for all the wrong reasons. With each new concept launch we are increasingly likely to hear a representative of the OEM tell us the design is a pointer to all future vehicles from the company. In practice, the features that get positive ‘scores’ will be retained and developed, while those that flop will be quietly dropped.
But even the vehicles that receive the warmest support at concept stage can expect to be heavily redesigned before production. Exterior profiles that are great for drawing the eye in an exhibition hall do not necessarily translate into aerodynamic, fuel-efficient road vehicles, or cost-effective manufacture. Discussions of kerb weight rarely feature in the glossy brochures that accompany a concept launch.
For example, between its September 2007 showing at Frankfurt and its display in Tokyo two months later, it was clear that both the front (originally described as ‘strongly protrusive’) and rear of Suzuki’s Kizashi D-segment concept had been ‘toned down’, with changes also made to the vehicle’s lower side profile. Is this one small step nearer to a production design?
The Verve Concept presented in Frankfurt was the first of three Ford concept vehicles to debut in the key regions of Europe, Asia and North America. As product development of a new generation of Ford small cars continues behind the scenes, the company used the Frankfurt show to gauge public reaction to the Verve Concept, said John Fleming, president and chief executive of Ford of Europe
“Building on the kinetic design momentum of the iosis and iosis X concept cars, and the more premium feel of production models like the Mondeo, the Verve is a bold expression of a small-car vision. Verve is a bespoke concept car to generate reactions while our production plans are taking shape. Our design team took an unrestrained approach to how our future small cars could look, and this eye-catching concept was one of the results. If we get the reaction we expect, I’m certain the team will incorporate elements of this advanced design vision into our final production design. This will make the next generation of small cars from Ford very compelling indeed.”
Stefan Lamm, chief exterior designer, Ford of Europe, said: “We wanted to make a bold statement about our vision for Ford small cars of the future. Ford Verve Concept symbolises our ambition to be a leader in small car design and create individual cars for individual customers, just as we have with the S-MAX and Mondeo.”
So which “elements of this advanced design vision” are likely to survive? “The concept’s face is bold and sporty, yet friendly and engaging,” Lamm said. “The front of the vehicle is dominated by a large, inverted trapezoidal lower grille and a large Ford oval badge centred in the compact upper grille opening. The lower grille features strong horizontal blades punctuated by a regular array of ‘bullet’ shapes that combine to create the visual effect of corresponding vertical bars. The lower grille and badge treatment are the design team’s intended signature elements to communicate Ford design DNA in future products.”
The bonnet shape is sculpted dynamically – “toned and athletic but not overtly muscular,” Lamm added. “This feeling combines with the more pronounced, rearward-stretching headlamp units – inspired by Mondeo – to give the face of the Verve Concept a friendly, open and inviting personality. The prominent headlamps feature two projector beams and an LED array.
“With a small car, for example a B segment car compared with a larger car, we believe we can play up – or amplify – key elements of the kinetic design form language,” Lamm said. “It’s not just a matter of copy-and-paste from one vehicle segment to another but rather how to interpret the philosophy for each individual car. You can clearly see this when you compare the larger iosis concept, the iosis X crossover and this new project.”
During 2007, at shows from New York to Frankfurt, Chevrolet showed three variants of a new minicar concept, again with a view to gauging public reaction. The company took the process a stage further by encouraging internet users to vote for their favourite out of the Beat, Groove and Trax and almost 1.9 million votes were cast. In November 2007, Chevrolet announced that the Beat was the resounding winner and would be the inspiration for a new production model to be sold globally. Initial production will be targeted to markets outside of North America, starting in mid-2009.
“The people have spoken. The vote count tripled all previous GM online consumer surveys, telling us Beat resonated with customers all around the world,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager.
“Fuel solutions and great-looking cars are at the core of Chevrolet’s values and this new production model will align perfectly with those tenets. It will carry the spirit of the expressive Beat concept, offering compact, city-friendly dimensions and a small-displacement engine that delivers excellent fuel economy. It gives the brand a leadership position in the minicar segment – the fastest-growing automotive segment in many countries around the world.”
So, once again, what is likely to survive from concept to street? “The newcomer will maintain the Beat concept’s core values – namely compact dimensions, modern, youth-oriented styling and great value for money, coupled to low fuel consumption and an environmental footprint befitting of a vehicle designed for urban use,” Peper said.
The Beat and the other concepts highlighted in the online survey were developed primarily at GM’s design studio in Bupyeong, South Korea, with input from GM’s global network of designers and its Korean partner, GM Daewoo. As South Korea is a primary market for the minicar, production will begin there although the vehicle will be built and sold globally.
Production values
For the Chevrolet Beat, like other show vehicles that get the go-ahead for development, the engineering design processes will now take centre stage. Structure, powertrain, E/E and safety systems and interiors can all expect to undergo changes to meet legislative, production and economic requirements.
Some features, like LED headlight arrays – already on the road in the Audi R8 – will increasingly stay; hand-prepped composite body panels will certainly be replaced by other materials more suitable for rapid and economic production; other exotic materials may also be replaced for non-critical (or non-luxury) applications under the hood or in the interior. “One of the ways design can contribute to the efficiency of any vehicle is through the aerodynamics of the body shape,” said Ed Welburn, VP, GM global design and involved in the development of the Chevrolet Volt E flex concept. “The collaboration between a designer and an aerodynamicist can not only contribute to improved fuel economy or extended range, but can produce beautiful and different body shapes.”
GM’s designers and engineers are working to optimise the aerodynamics of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle as part of the quest to make the breakthrough concept car a production reality. Aerodynamic improvement is a critical step in meeting the range targets necessary for moving the vehicle to a final production decision, Welburn said.
“Aerodynamic drag accounts for approximately 20% of the energy consumed in an average vehicle, directly impacting vehicle fuel efficiency,” said Frank Weber, global vehicle chief engineer for the E-Flex system. “The electric range of the Chevrolet Volt is most sensitive to improvements in aero, which is in contrast to a traditional vehicle programme in which mass typically plays a larger role.”
Aerodynamics development begins with a one-third-scale model where basic shape and major features are defined. The model includes detailed underbody and engine compartment. physical testing.
“After extensive aero development of the Volt, and more to come, we have achieved a vehicle that had a coefficient of drag that is more 30% lower in drag than the original concept,” said Welburn. “It’s not easy, but it is a necessity. We are now in the midst of a new period of aero exploration. There has been a significant effort to improve fuel economy and extend the range of electric vehicles for the future.”
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Author
Steve Snook
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