An air of importance

Normally we wouldn’t think that pushing yourself through thin air would pose any difficulty to anyone, but force that air upon yourself at speeds of over 100km/h and you would barely be able to stand straight.

See the faster you go the denser the air becomes making it harder and harder for you to push through.

The faster you go the more power you need just to part the air.

This is why fast cars often are shape like sleek bullets or knifes as their sharp ends and slender bodies allow the cars to pierce through the air with ease.

Their bodies cause low aerodynamic drag, thus requiring less power to move at speed as compared to an upright brick wall.

Honed through years of wind tunnel testing and experimentations, the sleek shapes that is applied onto sports cars has also become the defining quality of what makes them “fast” to the casual observer.

To cut down on aerodynamic drag, car designers have to reduce the car’s front footprint, which is why the aeroplane-wing shaped Nuna solar powered car is amongst the most aerodynamic creations in the world.

The Nuna Solar powered car has very little surface area on the front, making it easier to slice through the air.

However when it comes to sports cars, aerodynamic drag can be beneficial.

For its sleek shape and myriad of wings, the Formula One car is far from the most aerodynamic of cars.

Instead a typical Formula One car is less aerodynamic than a Hummer H2 SUV, this is because the wings on the Formula One car uses the air pressure from interrupting airflow over it to generate downforce, forcing the car down onto the road surface and thus increasing grip. 

Pictured: Less aerodynamic than a fat cow on rollerskates.

Sports car designers recognise the need for aerodynamic wings to influence airflow to increase grip, yet are cautious not to cause aerodynamic drag which can severely reduce the car’s performance.

Some carmakers has come up with ingenious solutions such as the McLaren MP4-12C which tucks away its wing a speed and only raises it when the brakes are applied to increase drag, which slows down the car and generates downforce to stabilise itself under braking.

If you spot the tail, better jam the brakes.

Pagani’s new Huayra goes one step further by having four individual wings each attached to the four corners of the car.

Tiny flaps on the nose and tails keeps the Huayra stuck to the road.

These wings work with the information fed from the steering wheel, allowing it to generate downforce for each corner of the car, thus improving grip and stability in corners.

However the concept of active aerodynamics shown on the MP4-12C and Huayra is just the start of what is possible with electronically controlled wings.

Take the imaginative BMW Lovos concept designed by a Pforzheim University graduate, which features 260 photovoltaic solar cells which not only generates electricity to power it, but also acts as airbrakes to help slow the car down.

Lovos stops the air and the crowds as well

With the world focusing their attention on fuel efficiency, the application of intelligent aerodynamic designs could hold the key to retaining our need for speed and environmental concerns.

The engineering challenge to make air work with the car is a substantial one and one which designers would have to take heed of.

*The closing date for the submission of the Secondary School Category of the New Straits Times – Peugeot Design Competition 2012/2013 is this Wednesday, March 13.

Participants are required to mail or hand-in their entries to the address below before the deadline:

New Straits Times - Cars, Bikes & Trucks 

1st Floor, Balai Berita (Old Wing)

31, Jalan Riong

59100 Kuala Lumpur 

As for the finalists of the University and College Students category, the deadline for submitting the required full 1/5 scale model and presentation panels is April 3. 

Aggressive designs not for everyone

The Cadillac Converj Concept

Many examples of modern car design these days come with an added dose of aggression.

From Lamborghini’s shocking angular look defined by the Reventon, to the slanted “fighter jet grille” nose that is used on Mitsubishi’s range of vehicles, aggressive design language has been employed on numerous cars recently.

Though aggressive design cues are popular, a recent Reuters report suggests that it doesn’t work for everyone, especially when it comes to Cadillac’s current “Art & Science” design language in China.

The Reuters report reveals that analysts believe the edgy look of modern Cadillacs with their sharp, angular lines are a turn-off to Chinese buyers.

Even Cadillac’s own marketing team in China sees Chinese buyers disliking the design of Cadillacs, deeming them to be “too futuristic” or “too bold”.

The report highlights that this perception is partly due to the Confucian concept of “Zhongyong” that puts emphasis on harmony.

“In cars, the Zhongyong concept translates into unified lines and curves,” said Fu Liming, a lecturer of transportation design at Jilin University in northeast China. “Cadillac’s design isn’t soft, its angles and arcs aren’t smooth enough.”

With China being Cadillac’s the most important market outside America, the 110-year old American luxury car brand hopes to amend their designs to please local Chinese buyers, adopting a modern contemporary design instead.

Lighting up the world

There is an old saying that goes “eyes are windows into one’s soul”, a phrase that can be applied to the world of automotive design.

As many might already notice, the headlights of a car often lend what essentially is a lifeless collection of mechanical and electronic components an anthropomorphic quality.

From a purely practical stand point headlights are essential in helping you see where exactly you are going, however from an aesthetic view, these fitments help others forge an identity they can relate with to the car.

Just by the simple arrangement of the headlights can either give your car design a friendly and loveable face like the 1960s Austin-Healey Sprite, or lending the imposing and aggressive features of the Zenvo ST1.

Not imposing.

Very imposing

The advent of new lighting technology such as the light emitting diode (LED), with its miniscule size, low power consumption, and flexibility, opens a whole new door of design possibilities that wasn’t possible with normal light bulbs for designers.

The LED lights of Audi’s new R8 for instance complements the supercar’s sharp looks, and give its front a sleeker and cleaner profile.

That said lighting doesn’t have to be limited to either end of the car design.

Some designers, like those eggheads who were responsible for the 2001 Toyota Pod concept, applied colour changing lights to its entire body, allowing the car to alter its colours according to the driver’s mood, which was recorded via its steering wheel.

To further draw an emotional connection between man and machine, the Pod’s headlights are also designed to rotate into different angles to mimic different expressions to match the colours displayed.

Designers can also use the flexibility of LED lighting technology to apply it on the body of the car.

More than just a way of attracting the attention of passer-bys, the use of lighting strips along the car’s body could serve as a warning feature, alerting other motorists of your on-road presence.

In the world of automotive design the role of lights can be expanded to become an essential part of a car’s design, lending it a character or identity and serves as a medium for one to communicate an intent of purpose across to on-lookers and buyers alike.

The flexibility of lighting technology these days allows for more imaginative designs to be created, and even fit within the New Straits Times – Peugeot Design Competition’s judging criteria of manufacturability potential.

Shortlisted finalists from the University and College category of the NST-Peugeot Design Competition have till April 5 to submit their 1:5 scale model representation of their final concept.

Whereas participants of the Secondary School category are encouraged to complete and send in their entries before the category submission deadline of March 13.