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Not entirely true Posted by Ari [Email] ![]() ![]() In Reply to: The myth of new technology?, Allan, Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:39:15 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Yes, there is hype in changing body styles. But there actually are reasons why a chassis can become outdated. A big example is safety technology.
When the 9000 came out, there were only driver's airbags. When passenger airbags showed up, the solution was to lose the wonderful glovebox. Why not install a passenger airbag like other cars? Because you don't just glue one on; it requires specific structure and support. The re-design of the structure would have been considerable. The same is true now-days with the increasing use of side and head airbags - they require significant changes to the body structure.
There are always new safety requirements coming in. They're phasing in new pedestrian impact rules that will alter the front end significantly. Droping the nose moves the engine, which alters the suspension geometry. Same with side crash requirements, etc.
Other big changes are materials and construction methods. As technology improves, it becomes cheaper and easier to stamp larger panels, to use bonding instead of riveting, to incorporate lighter materials. But that requires redesign to take advantage of improvements and design around shortcomings. You can leave the old car design alone, but now you might need a separate assembly line (expensive), or use old, more expensive construction methods. No, the car may not cost more to make, but why not take advantage of cheaper methods?
Cars are also systems. Changing one thing impacts 12 others. We want a more powerful engine, but that requires moving some body structure, which impacts the suspension layout, which ripples through all the hoses. We all curse the layout in the engine compartment - believe it or not, that's been optimized.
Basically, there are a lot of forces to change the car - integrated Nav systems impact the dash space, nobody can live without backseat entertainment systems, safety requirements march on. You can glue stuff onto a chassis only so long before you start having to make lots of design compromises.
Cars are systems, not a bunch of parts flying in close formation. Add some weight here, and it requires revising the suspension and brake material. Really. Bolt something there, and it impacts the structural integrity.
It's not like the 1950's and 60's when cars changed for the sake of change. Car companies spend a billion or so developing a chassis, so they wring a decade out of it if they can. But compare a 1997 car to a 2007 car, and you'll see big differences. Engines are different, the electronics is even more evident, there are airbags on the airbags, and just about everybody is looking for a hybrid powertrain.
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