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I believe some of these changes are also due to the raising of the bonnet (hood) to cater for pedestrian safety - allowing some empty space between the top of the engine and the hood.
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raised bonnets have had a big effect on car design, back on the 80's and 90's aerodynamic car design even for family sedams involved low pointy bonnets where these days cars seem to be much taller, an impression reinforced with lower bumpers/airdams that visually seem to double the height of the hood on some cars.
these ridges may also be part of a strategy to make the hoods structurally stronger while using less material wich makes them lighter and at the same time more flexible in the center wich could improve pedestrian safety.
with all this said the resulting shape looks like it will have an effect on aerodynamics as well
considdering in the 70's a lot of car where very boxy affairs
the moderns shapes seem to do something more than simply smooth out the straight edges, in fact they seem to introduce new hard edges in certain places