3 ms·

> But I think the main problem with the car industry, is that if they start making aerodynamically efficient cars, they will all look the same, and nobody will

> But I think the main problem with the car industry, is that if they start making aerodynamically efficient cars, they will all look the same, and nobody will by them. I don't think this is as true as people think. look at high-end sports cars. they're all designed for low drag (although downforce components add some of that back) but they have very distinctive designs. other than the badges and grilles, most economy sedans already look pretty much the same anyway. > And if they make efficient, low power and cheap cars nobody will buy the powerful and expensive ones. I don't think this is true either. cars like the Honda fit already exist, but that doesn't stop people from buying Porsches. anecdotally, I've noticed something of a bimodal distribution in car buyers. people either buy the cheapest thing that fits their use case or the nicest car they can afford. I don't see why that would change if the bottom went even lower.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago
There's a lot of room for improvement in aerodynamics of modern sedans. The bulbous front bodywork and large wheels that are in style are not good for aerodynamics. If we went back to the low hoods and 24" diameter tires of the early 90s then that would be a substantial improvement. Most subcompact hatches already do this because their boxy form factor is not that great for aerodynamics and they need to make it up somewhere.
- leetcrew 7y ago
  I'm not saying current designs are optimal. rather, the current designs already look so similar to each other that "looking different" can't be a valid reason for not optimizing them further. I already can't tell many of them apart unless I'm already familiar with the model.
jerome-jh 7y ago
> look at high-end sports cars To my eyes, there is much less shape diversity in sports cars than customer cars. Sedans definitely look the same but is it the optimal shape? > And if they make efficient, low power and cheap cars nobody will buy the powerful and expensive ones. That applies especially to different motors for a given car model. Several times, I have seen the lower-end engine, although less powerful, smaller displacement, to have the same mileage as the more powerful engine of the same technology/generation. A fellow engineer who worked in the car industry confirmed me (although not that clearly, because it is a sensitive subject), that engines for the low-end range can be sold with a sub-optimal mapping.
- leetcrew 7y ago
  > To my eyes, there is much less shape diversity in sports cars than customer cars. Sedans definitely look the same but is it the optimal shape? depends what you mean. to be clear, I'm comparing cars of the same type (obviously minivans look very different from pickup trucks). maybe it's because I'm an enthusiast, but I would never confuse a Ferrari for a Porsche. the design language is totally different. on the other hand, I might need to look at the badge to know whether a midsize sedan is a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago

There's a lot of room for improvement in aerodynamics of modern sedans. The bulbous front bodywork and large wheels that are in style are not good for aerodynamics. If we went back to the low hoods and 24" diameter tires of the early 90s then that would be a substantial improvement. Most subcompact hatches already do this because their boxy form factor is not that great for aerodynamics and they need to make it up somewhere.

leetcrew 7y ago
I'm not saying current designs are optimal. rather, the current designs already look so similar to each other that "looking different" can't be a valid reason for not optimizing them further. I already can't tell many of them apart unless I'm already familiar with the model.

jerome-jh 7y ago

> look at high-end sports cars To my eyes, there is much less shape diversity in sports cars than customer cars. Sedans definitely look the same but is it the optimal shape? > And if they make efficient, low power and cheap cars nobody will buy the powerful and expensive ones. That applies especially to different motors for a given car model. Several times, I have seen the lower-end engine, although less powerful, smaller displacement, to have the same mileage as the more powerful engine of the same technology/generation. A fellow engineer who worked in the car industry confirmed me (although not that clearly, because it is a sensitive subject), that engines for the low-end range can be sold with a sub-optimal mapping.

leetcrew 7y ago
> To my eyes, there is much less shape diversity in sports cars than customer cars. Sedans definitely look the same but is it the optimal shape? depends what you mean. to be clear, I'm comparing cars of the same type (obviously minivans look very different from pickup trucks). maybe it's because I'm an enthusiast, but I would never confuse a Ferrari for a Porsche. the design language is totally different. on the other hand, I might need to look at the badge to know whether a midsize sedan is a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan.