2010 Prius belly pan set up

[lunarhighway]

imagine the top of you car looks like this.. noone would buy it (unless your into hummers)

what i don't get is why, at least on these cars where aero is a big thing, like the prius etc, they don't start the design with a clean smooth bottom shell, and then cut out some holes for the exhaust, and chop the shell up in managable bits...

right now it seems like they build the car and than patched up all the holes... some coroplast jobs over here are smoother.

afterall isn't that how the top of a car is designed? you start with a concept sketch do some computer modeling, build a real mock up an a test version, and along the way deside how the panel lines should go and the whole thing will be broken up into bits that can be mass produced and assembeled. so if that production process works so well why not use it on the bottom as well?

the only reason i can think of why the bottom looks like this is that the difference between this and a smooth cover is very small, but that is hard to believe

[gone-ot]

...many running dimples and creases are there to "strengthen" panels and keep them from "tin-canning" and flexing to death...but, they're usually not curvey like those on the Insight.

[Otto]

Neither the Prius nor the Merc is even close to being as good as some of the work seen on this website, from Coroplast or aluminum sheeting.