Car Design Can Worsen Whiplash

Drivers have been warned to take as much care about their headrest positions as they do about wearing their seatbelt by car industry experts.

This is in response to research carried out by Thatcham which looked at car design and whiplash injury. They also report that last year saw the biggest improvement in car design with 80% of seats made in Europe getting a 'good' or 'acceptable' scoring. Only 16% of seats achieved this is in 2005 and in 2002 25% of all cars would not provide whiplash protection.

Peter Roberts, chief executive at Thatcham, said: "The majority of vehicle manufacturers have already incorporated geometrically correct designs that offer good protection. It is clear, however, that certain vehicle manufacturers need to make improvements to fall within the internationally recognised standards."

Whiplash injury can occur even when collision speed is very low. Pain can take weeks or years to manifest and is caused by damage to soft tissue around the spine. Symptoms can include shoulder pain, neck pain, stiffness, dizziness and burning sensations.

Thatcham researchers discovered that the amount of damage from whiplash depended mostly on the position of the car's headrest. Movement of the headrest during collision worsened the victim's injury leading Thatcham to ask manufacturers to have a locking system on it.

Dr David Bull said: "Headrests are so important because this is true preventative medicine."

Experts recommend that the headrest should remain near to the back of the head. The top of the head and top of the headrest should be inline. Drivers are advised not to recline their seat or to drive hunched forward as this will increase the distance from the headrest and lead to more serious injuries.

Thatcham scored Saab and Volvo seats as 'good' for preventing whiplash injury with Ford and Renault also performing well. Audi were commended for their seats that were made from special foam to absorb impact and support the neck during collision.

Some 200,000 people per year are victims of whiplash with 20,000 having symptoms for more than 6 months and 2,000 having long-term disability.

Approximately 80% of personal injury claims result from whiplash.

To make a whiplash injury claim the accident must not be caused by the victim. They will have to show that an injury resulted from the accident and following this compensation could be given for 'general damages' (physical and mental injury) and 'special damages' (an example being loss of earnings).

The victim will attend a medical examination to find physical damage then an independent medical expert will look at their case. A solicitor normally guides claimants through this procedure and will advise on whether they have a strong case.

Once this is confirmed the solicitor will forward the claimants details of the accident and injury to the opponent and they will decide if they will accept liability. If they deny it then the case may go to court but this is rare

Drawing Cars - Hand Sketching Vs 3D Modeling

In the age of computers, virtual reality and 3D modeling, why are hand sketching skills still such a vital part of the car design process?

Hand sketching is still the best way of getting ideas out of the designer's head and onto paper quickly and efficiently. 3D modeling requires manipulating software to get the result that the designer wants. This process is often slow and cumbersome. Manipulating your hand to draw the line you want it to draw is much faster and easier.

To build a 3D model of one concept can take days. To do a hand sketch of one concept can be done in an hour or two. This means many ideas can be explored far more efficiently and less time is invested into each idea. Often when concepts are presented for consideration they are dismissed instantly. If little time has been invested into that concept, then little has been lost.

Even in high end design programs, such as Alias that many automotive designers use, the base drawing is done by hand on a digital tablet. Even though the drawing is done directly onto the computer through the tablet, it is still the designer's hand making the moves. As this is most direct way to bring an idea from inside their head to life.

Remember, computers are just another tool like pencils and markers. If you want to be a car designer, practice your freehand car drawing skills and you will not only produce more concepts but better designs as well.

5 Cars With Weird Designs

There are some cars that can take your breath away with their overwhelming looks. On the other hand, there exist some cars with designs that are very mundane and ordinary, while some car designs can amaze you with their oddities and unusualness. Here is the list of 5 cars with weird designs:

1. Mercedes-Benz Count Trossi SSK

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has named this "Count Trossi" SSK after the "aristocratic" Italian race-car driver Count Carlo Felice Trossi. This car actually has a very stylish set of wheels, despite having 'weird car design'. This car had been extremely successful in the Le Mans, Monaco, and the Mille Miglia.

There are only four original models of the Count Trossi SSK in the world and each is a 'holy grail' among car collectors. Recently one model from 1929 sold for US$7.4 million!

2. Peugeot Honey-B

The Peugeot Honey-B like its namesake looks pretty much like a big honey bee on wheels! It seems like a Peugeot car designer must have got stung by a honeybee one day and he decided to immortalize his 'honeybee experience' and came up with this strange car.

Like bees, it is aerodynamic, but unlike bees, it is a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This Honey-B boasts of seats with techno-cool hydraulic arms that help various preset adjustments which means they retract automatically to your preferred position once you're seated!

3. Hondo Puyo

The Honda Puyo can be termed as the "Weird-great Puyo". The little information we found on this 'weirdo' car tells us that this is a concept car which runs on hydrogen fuel. Unlike the fuel-cell powered Honda FCX, the Puyo prides on "no sharp edges" and is covered in soft silicone so that it can absorb light collisions. If you are planning to ride this, you have to use a joystick instead of a steering wheel.

4. Nissan Moon Buggy

Fueled by imagination, designer Robert Hoffmann drew up this Nissan Moon Buggy concept for an auto magazine. This weird car is very unlikely to go into production. This strange Nissan Moon Buggy has been inspired by the Lunar Modules.

The car has oversize rear wheels that are supposed to provide more efficiency in maneuverability. Not only that, when it reaches high speeds, Ailerons are deployed for increased aerodynamics, Ailerons are commonly found on fixed-wing aircraft!

To be honest, the car looks like a cross between an alien and an iPod.

5. Nissan Pivo 2

Who says no car designers design cars for gals? The Nissan Pivo 2 is just not a 'girlie-girlie' car concept but a very urbane one in that! It is powered by advanced compact lithium-ion batteries and features a unique rotating cabin, which means no reverse gear is required! The four wheels are powered by electric engine and can turn through 90 degrees to allow the Pivo 2 to drive sideways as well as forward. The Pivo 2 looks as if it has come from the Pixar Studio!

Why The Craze About Car Design

Have you ever wondered why there is new car design coming out in the market every day? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself this question? Many car manufacturers are spending huge amount of money and time to come up with new designs. While it is a fact that car design is an important part and parcel of car manufacturing, the same do seem to apply very much when it comes to making purchasing decision. Exterior car design has played a part, to some extent, in aiding purchasing decision of the consumer for some time now. Until very recently car buyers have not been keen in the interior design of car. Much of the decision to buy a car has been based on certain performance metrics such as quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, service satisfaction, and ownership costs.

In a survey conducted by JD Power, an American firm which conducts comprehensive annual surveys of car owners to see who is happy, and who is not, with their new car, it was found that "the way in which technology is integrated into new car design, especially interior features and controls, is now considered to be as important to car buyers as defects and malfunctions". Additionally Joe Ivers of JD Power says that "New vehicles today are often packed with new technologies that unfortunately can be complicated and frustrating for the average consumer when their integration is not well executed. This could explain why many car buyers have not been keen in the internal design of the car as opposed to external design.

In 2004 it was found that more and more Americans are paying attention on how their cars are designed. The way a car looks has become very important to car owners. The saying that "you are what you drive" has become more important than ever. Car designers have become celebrities overnight depending on how their design is performing in the market. The craze in car design has become intense such that car manufacturers have been rushing to link up supermodels and celebrities in an effort to up their sales

Newest Volvo Car Designers from Taiwan

Volvo cars are making a big splash in China's car market. The Volvo Car Corporation of Sweden sent out some major designers like Steve Harper to Taiwan to enlist some of the country's local car-designers. The Ford Group decided to recruit some Taiwanese car designers for the Great China Car Market.

The recruited car designers from Taiwan will be allowed to design new car models for its Sweden designer center. Volvo has made this plan specifically for the Great China Car Market. New car designs will be made by these Taiwanese designers for the distinctive and oriental taste of the targeted consumers.

500,000 to 700,000 Volvo cars are expected to be sold out internationally this year. This includes around 50,000 units for the Asian market which includes Taiwan, Japan, mainland China and other Southeast Asian nations. Since the demand for luxury cars are rapidly rising, car makers from the Volvo Car Corporation are aiming to sell 50,000 to 80,000 units of Volvo cars in Asia in 2007.

Apart from that, Volvo is continuously deploying its manufacturing, product design and parts procurements including its Volvo C70 auto parts in Asia. Also, as a component of Ford's global part procurement system, they have the responsibility of lowering the production cost.

According to Volvo Car Taiwan officials, Volvo is number three among the country's imported car brands. Still, Mercedes-Benz and BMW tops the chart. However, they are adding more efforts to meet the consumer's taste in Great China. This is one of the reasons why Volvo is employing talented car designers from Taiwan to develop new car models for the specific market.

Steve Harper has been visiting Taiwan several times. According to the officials, Harper was extremely impressed with the designing performances of Taiwan's local designers. These designers are from Ford Lio Ho of Motor Co.'s design center. Volvo have appropriated NT$10 million or US$305,810, to continuously hold a series of car designing seminars with the Taiwan Design Center. This is a proof that Asian talents are becoming more globally competitive in terms of car designing.

Soon, these designs will be made available in the market. Finally, Volvo car designs will be more preferable for Asians

2008 Trends in Car Designs

In the 1990's the big word was ergonomics, comfort and style, but now the biggest trend in automobile design is efficiency, aerodynamics and fuel saving. Thus, the cars still have to look nice but they also need to shave off a few miles per gallon using the very best aerodynamic designs available, because that is what the consumer wants.

Indeed, that is what the government legislators have demanded as well with new high mpg standards on all new cars. Does this mean the death of the SUV? Well, something like that, and sure, they will still be available for the wealthy, and they may continue to buy them despite the dirty looks they get from self purported eco-friendly consumers.

You can expect more tear drop shaped vehicles and low air dams that prevent too much air from going underneath the car. You will be seeing shells underneath the belly of the automobiles also and more cars with skirts covering the back wheels for more efficient airflows.

The most interesting trend will be that the cars will be smaller and incorporate much more unique lightweight materials such as space age carbon composite construction like in the aviation sector. Soon the glass will also disappear and perhaps be replaced with see-through carbon nano-tubes with graphene coatings, thus, lightening up the vehicle by several 100 pounds.

Already, the 2010-2012 concept cars are appearing at the big car shows and they are out of this world in design. Meanwhile the first compact foreign vehicles from China and India are appearing in the US with dealerships ready to go. You might want to search and see these on the Internet. The TaTa Motors Nano, the SmartCar and the Chinese mini-car knock-offs are now available for the first time in the USA

Futuristic Car Design

What is in a car? And what is especially in car design? Perhaps you hanker for the newest, latest, sleekest look or perhaps you simply think that futuristic looks are plain odd. Design can also be fuel efficient.

Car design teams such as the one in Mercedes-Benz often look for new designs for next-generation appeal. This time around, it is all about fuel efficiency- and new sci-fi looks. Mercedes-Benz took its inspiration from something a little odd this time around- the tropical box fish.

The car is rather small, and has the sci-fi feel to it. The four cylinder gas-saving machine will return an amazing 84 miles per gallon at the constant speed of 54 miles per hour. This could be revolutionary as far as gas efficiency goes in new cars- a milestone in the industry. It can achieve the speed of 62 miles per hour in around 8 seconds- not bad at all.

The code-named 'Bionic' won't be coming to a dealership near you, but it will heavily influence the design of future cars to come. The concept car was mainly for show, and to demonstrate new complicated fuel cell designs that save you money at the gas station.

No on is for sure when we will see changes such as this, but coming from Mercedes-Benz, it isn't going to be cheap. Even at four cylinders- this car itself would cost much more than the average car. Expect 5 years at the latest to enjoy the gas-saving technology.