"The Volt" May BE SCRAPPED!- NEVER BUILT!!

[Frank Lee]

I'd think those boys made that trunklid that high so there wouldn't be separation above it. It would sure suck to make it look that way and still end up with separation all up that window.

EV1 somehow got by with a steeper backlight.

Here's a much more straight-on side shot. How does the backlight angle look now?



I don't mind the big butt if it serves a purpose and doesn't impose too large of a compromise on something else, like rear visibility. It's still going to have a large wake zone... wonder what the Cd is?

Look at those phat A-pillars! I mean, yeah, that's what you'll be looking at from the inside, trying to see out.

And those wipers hanging in the wind! Might as well deploy a parachute.

[theunchosen]

Frank thats what I was thinking about those A-pillars. Some say... that they are filled with a gel that deploys on impact to immobilize everything in the car.

Not really... but with that kind of volume they ought to be. I'm sure its to house a million air bags so that when you hit that car in your blind spot that the air bag pillar causes you won't get hurt....^_^

[srortega]

Hey I found a site that will convert MPG to kWh. Just enter your MPH and hit tab and it will calculate your miles per kWh.

http://car.pege.org/2008-fuel/mp-kwh.htm

[Jammer]

OK, am I the only person that notices in SOME pictures of The Volt where it seems the DOORS are mounted funny? Especially the FRONT door in some pics almost appears to me to be mounted in an overlapping like fashion. Now why is that?

The points about the rear window are well taken. I think this "big butt" design is going to become very popular, very fast. Why? Have you all seen all of the so called "cross-over" vehicles being produced now? To me they all seem to have a fat back-end to them. In the example of The Volt, it still reminds me a lot of the Prius I was behind at a drive thru last week. It also reminds me a little bit of the back of the Cobalt I have, but the angle on my rear window is nowhere near THAT steep, and I do have enough horizontal space for what can still be called a trunk.

For example, here is the rear of my 09 Cobalt XFE:

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I think this "big butt" design is going to become very popular, very fast.

I think it already has. Not the height (which is aerodynamics), but the width. Most cars, especially those with pretensions to performance, have that fat butt look, where they're much wider about the rear than the front. I always figured that the styling departments think that the average American wants a car built in his or her own image :-)

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

..Most cars, especially those with pretensions to performance, have that fat butt look....[EDIT]...I always figured that the styling departments think that the average American wants a car built in his or her own image :-)

All of us talking of the "fat butt" design got me thinking....Boy I sure am glad I'm a skinny dude! (otherwise one could easily get offended around here)

[Bicycle Bob]

Haw! I remember driving past a school with nose-in parking, and every single vehicle was a bulbous-backed SUV. Then, I noticed I was in Plenty, SK.

[cfg83]

Hello -

I first noticed the fat butts in the 2nd gen Mitsubishi Eclipse (the sun) :



CarloSW2

[gone-ot]

...the "full Monte" version of "Kamm Back"

[theunchosen]

there is actually a fairly simple explanation from a design perspective for a car to have expanding girth as you get farther from the front wheels...

Space at the front of the car is usually not what the client considers useful, whereas wider rear seats, cabin or trunk space are most assuredly considered a a premium by most drivers. So if your clientele doesn't care at all how much room is availalble under the hood(and they don't) why would you spend a dime providing room? Given it is easier to have a straight line for the frame but the increased mass for longer supports to reach the mounting points for all the under bonnet components would add a substantial amount of weight as well as increase the cost. Its conveneint for the frame to be right at the edges of the motor and trans so that anything that needs to be mounted needs only to have some bolt holes instead of a strut to reach it.

But... not many passengers would be terribly comfortable or happy with the interior spaced provided with that width(my Del sol is about 3-4 inches wider at the door jam where my butt is) than where my front tires are.

So to maximize interior space and ease of manufacture under the hood the body almost automatically assumes some form of expanding shape...