Simple, efficace
Stagnation in aerodynamics The automotive industry has entered an invisible wall in aerodynamics. In recent years, most cars have aerodynamic coefficients of about 0.3. This is a good value, but it strictly drives the limits of what is possible. In 1989, Opel Calibra was launched with a drag coefficient of 0.26. Yes, Calibra had some advantages with regard to the basic form, it was a long, low coupe. But this is 2009, 20 years have passed since then. Yet we only have a handful of cars that come anywhere near this value. One is the Toyota Prius with a Cd of 0.26 and the other is the Mercedes C Class Blue Efficiency with a Cd of 0.25. In the meantime, Prius 2009 has been revealed and claimed to have a Cd of 0.25. So we are finally back at the point where we were 20 years ago. I find it very disappointing. I understand that there must be some compromises for design, practical and everyday usability, but I think we can do better than this. Let's take the VW Polo Blue Motion, for example. This is basically the same car as the Polo 1.4 TDI, but it has some tweaks in gear, aerodynamics and rolling resistance. They have equipped a grid with smaller ventilation holes in it and a roof spoiler to reduce the car's guard strength and another front bumper. This combined with narrower tires takes the CD down from 0.32 to 0.3. Now if it's that simple, why not produce each Polo like this? Instead of putting on the usual grille, put on this aerodynamic grille. How much does it cost for you? Meanwhile, the Audi A2, which came out in 1999, had a Cd of 0.28 (standard version). Ten years along the line, the VW Polo comes with 0.32. The.