Paying attention? Why the Volt's fender and hood cut lines were altered
Chevrolet Volt pre-production IVER prototype - Click above for high-res image gallery
By now, we've likely all seen dozens of pictures of the latest Chevy Volt integration vehicle engineering releases – better known as IVERs – running around GM's various testing facilities. Our own Sam Abuelsamid even hitched a ride in one. Unless you're paying really close attention, though, it's easy to miss some of the tiny, seemingly insignificant details that have been made to the car since it was first revealed in production form.
For instance, how many noticed that the Volt's front fender and hood cut lines had been altered? And, if you were one of the few that caught that tweak, did you wonder why? Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com sought an answer. According to Bob Boniface, chief designer of the Chevy Volt:
Well, there you go. Perhaps it's appropriate to mention (once again) that there are untold numbers of complications and minutiae that crop up when designing cars that are to be sold all around the world. With that in mind, it's also highly probable that these changes will be made to the Opel Ampera and Holden Volt for the same reasons.Hood cutline change was made for compliance with European Pedestrian Protection regulations. Hood cutines tend to be very stiff due to metal flanging and the original ones fell into test zone for head impact... I was happy to move them because I think the side view line makes the fender appear thinner.
Gallery: Quck Ride: Pre-production Chevy Volt
[Source: GM-Volt.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lne937s 11:58AM (8/27/2009)
I have no doubt that the real reason is to control costs. The Daewoo Lacetti Premiere (aka Chevy Cruze) has this type of hood mounting and it really doesn't make any sense to have a seperate mounting system for a limited production car like the Volt when they already share all of their major structural elements. I predict that parts standardization across the same platform will increase by the time we see the final production version. The more they can make the differences cosmetic (door skins, fender skins, blackouts around the windows, decals, etc.) rather than structural , the more money they can save.
See pictures of the production Lacetti Premiere (which has been on sale in Korea since 2008) for more.... BTW, Daewoo has pictures/specs of the new production Matiz on their site (to eventually be sold here as the Chevy Spark)
http://media.gm.com/kr/daewoo/en/product/product.html
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wincros 3:04PM (8/27/2009)
Wow. That was enlightening. Thanks.
I thought all that development time was needed to develop the super body for the special needs of the extended range electric super car when apparently it is just another version of an existing Korean model. The long time to bring this high priced turkey to market is more and more looking like flim flam art. Is GM engaged in money laundering or, more likely, just hiding losses from their stockholders(now us) inside research and development?
lne937s 3:45PM (8/27/2009)
I just hope that the new Daewoo Lacetti variants (Cruze, Volt) that will be sold here are better than the last version that was sold here as the Suzuki Forenza- ranked in last place among affordable small cars in a survey of car reviews.
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Suzuki_Forenza/
I would hate to see GM place so much of its future on a car like this unless the improvement over the previous generation is astounding.
J 4:28PM (8/27/2009)
Or the "real reason" is what was stated in the article, and the cars you mention happen to conform to the same safety regulations...
Nixon 5:13PM (8/27/2009)
I looked at the point on the old fender and it instantly reminded me of gutting a deer with a mid-80's BMW. I hit a deer doing 45-50 mph, and the point at the end of the fender just above the light acted as a knife, cutting open the deer at the sternum, and cutting straight through the belly and out the behind. It left the ENTIRE set of internal organs all in one pile in the middle of the road, and left the poor deer completely gutted 20 feet away. It was quite ghastly to be perfectly honest.
It happened that way because the hood, the plastic grill, and the headlight all crushed easily under the impact, but the straight tip pointing off the fender above the light was much stronger, and didn't deform a bit. I might as well have had a buck knife mounted on my fender.
So take a look at the initial design, and imagine the hood easily crushing (it will) and the headlight breaking out (it will). That leaves that nice point of steel that is much stronger through it's structure and design compared to the hood and headlight. Now imagine it's your kid riding their bike that gets hit at 45-50 mph instead of that deer I hit.....
Now look at the second design. Much better. No pointy tip once the headlight and hood crush.
The EU wrote a good regulation. The US should standardize upon it. And the whiners should shut up.
lne937s 6:43PM (8/27/2009)
J-
Every car in Europe has to comply with that regulation. By your reasoning, every car in Europe would have a hood like that- and they don't.
GM did this to save money. While compliance may have been a factor, it is cheaper to share components with mass-produced siblings than it is to make a 1-off. If it wasn't about money, they would engineer the hood to meet the standards, like other cars sold in Europe... Same thing with the other shared structural components from the Korean-engineered Delta2 platform that already meet the EU standards- saving money.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:43PM (8/27/2009)
There are multiple ways to comply with the regulations. Just because other cars do it in a different way doesn't mean this wasn't done to comply with the regulations.
Personally, I don't like the EU pedestrian impact regulations, but the worst part is not hoodlines, it's the requirements that affect the grille shape and the engine placement.
Chet 12:10PM (8/27/2009)
Safety regulations need simplification, first-world standardization, and better rationalization in harmony with other real-world concerns.
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Statik 12:25PM (8/27/2009)
Hey!
*grumble grumble*
why not the LS2LS7? 12:21PM (8/27/2009)
They also added a cutline on the A-pillar. Previously, the front fender was attached to the roof which looks great but increases the costs of repairs.
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dalesmallwood 1:22PM (8/27/2009)
You was robbed Statik!!!
This article misstated the author. The real author is none other then the guy going *grumble grumble* He has a shap eye and covered the story and should be credited. Shame on yoiu Jeremy.
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pk[k[kp[kp[k[k 1:57PM (8/27/2009)
They can add all the cut lines they want, $40,000 for this is insane.
I'll buy a normal old honda civic - save battery costs, electricity costs, etc. and use my $25,000 left over to invest in exxon stock. I'll be a rich man.
Why does going green ALWAYS have to cost more???
(oh that's right, its really an excuse to get more money out of us)
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alex 2:28PM (8/27/2009)
they aren't even going to turn a profit on this car at $40,000, but here you are b!tc#ing that they're just trying to take all your money.
LOGIC FAIL
Kumar 2:54PM (8/27/2009)
Problem: High costs for changing car specs between countries due to varying regulations. In this case (as with the 2010 Subie Legacy giant hood), we went with Euro spec hoods, but there are usually many small things that change between countries that add to the price.
Solution: As an auto company, lobby the governments of your main market countries to harmonized regulations to cut development costs, and make it a more efficient process to market a car worldwide.
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NeilBlanchard 10:04PM (8/27/2009)
Hello,
They also seem to have gone from having different rims on each side of the car (so the spokes are rotating in the same direction) to having the same rim on all four wheels. This is a cost savings, I'm sure, but is there an aerodynamic "cost"?
Sincerely, Neil
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Joe 12:12AM (8/28/2009)
My guess is those wheels don't see production. Consumers would want 4 identical wheels to allow easy rotation.
The aerodynamic differences between backwards and forwards is probably nothing. They are draggy either way. The better solution would be cap them entirely, but then you get ugly Civic hybrid wheels.
Jim 8:00AM (8/28/2009)
unfortunately that kind of hood seam is very hard to get right; a lot of Chrysler vehicles are like that and on most of them it looks like the hood just doesn't fit right.
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