Students in Auto Mechanic Certification Programs: Here’s Why Many Modern Cars Look Alike
Your brain isn’t playing tricks on you. Today’s modern vehicles, especially cars, have taken on an eerie resemblance to each other. The Toyota Prius looks oddly similar to the Honda Insight, and the Ashton Matrin Vantage has the same sleek profile as the Jaguar XK. In fact, the comparisons could go on forever in today’s automotive market. Regardless of how it seems, these similarities amongst vehicles don’t often come from playing copycat.
Read on to discover why many modern vehicles look strikingly similar.
Pros With Auto Mechanic Certification May Know Government Regulation Affects Design
Over the years, governments from around the world have implemented strict car design regulations to boost safety. Since most vehicle makers sell their cars in many different countries, they must be in compliance with a range of policies. For example, Europe’s pedestrian protection standards require vehicles to be designed so that if the car was to make impact with a person, the vehicle would make contact with the upper and lower body simultaneously. This is why many of the sedans we see in Canada today have tall and chunky front bumpers.
As well as pedestrian safety, airbag laws and standards are responsible for common design elements. In addition, in order to make driving safer, governments also require strong pillars (the vertical supports in and around a car’s windows) to help ensure the integrity of the vehicle in case of a rollover. The presence of pillars is part of the reason why many vehicles tend to have a similar structure and design around their windows.
Pros With Auto Mechanic Certification May Know Fuel Efficiency Is a Factor
Gas mileage is king in the modern automotive world, which means that efficiency takes priority. Most vehicle manufacturers are attempting to squeeze out as many miles per gallon (or kilometres per litre) as possible. As a result, many vehicles end up looking alike because they are all designed with aerodynamics in mind. When most cars on the market are trying to achieve this goal, their designs begin to merge together and take on similar qualities.
Many of today’s vehicle designs have a smooth appearance over the hood and roof but have a sharp drop-off on the back end. As you may know once you become a certified mechanic, this design helps air streams pass over the vehicle and then detach, creating optimal aerodynamics.
Pros With Auto Mechanic Certification Could See the Future Bring Design Diversity
As a future professional with auto mechanic certification, you shouldn’t be alarmed by this move towards similar design. In fact, professionals believe the industry is nearing the end of its uniformity. With modern technological advances coming up, major changes could allow brands to diversify their product selection and look once again.
Pat Schiavone, automobile designer for Ford, shares his thoughts: “With decades more experience and technology than we had when we did the Probes in the 80s and 90s, I think we could see bubble cars one day in the near future. It could be the next big thing. Advanced materials and technologies may allow us to do something cool like that.”
While bubble cars may be something the industry sees much further down the line, it’s reasonable to expect changes in the short term. As electric vehicles slowly become strong contenders for buyers, the way cars look will change. Without having to house a clunky combustion engine, car designers might soon have the freedom to get more creative with their designs.
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