Designing Vehicles to Be Fuel Efficient Results in Look a like Products

Designing a vehicle for maximum fuel efficiency is a holistic effort. Every aspect of the vehicle is looked at in great detail. Engineers focus efforts on tires, windshield design, mirror design and more. The goal of engineering for fuel efficiency is to reduce drag as much as possible while still resulting in a vehicle shape that is usable for occupants.

When designing for efficiency, much effort is focused on aerodynamics. Aerodynamics have a tremendous influence on fuel efficiency and hybrids focus solely on efficiency. Dedicated hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight promote extreme efficiency in a usable package. Both the Prius and the Insight are capable of reaching 50 mpg in daily driving, a number that is well above most competitors.

However, critics have noted that both the Insight and the Prius have a strikingly similar design. Some have difficulty distinguishing the two vehicles. But it's really no surprise that two vehicles, designed with a focus on efficiency, appear similar. They both mimic the most aerodynamically efficient shape and thus look alike.

As more designs focus on efficiency its very likely that we will see additional vehicles that look similar to the Prius and the Insight. Honda takes offense to the comparison to the Prius as noted below, but need not apologize for their design as aerodynamics remain of utmost importance and design driven by efficiency is not copying others, rather understanding that efficient design is always similar in end result.

Here's a brief overview of Honda's reaction to claims that the Insight has copied the Prius in terms of exterior looks.

According to a key Honda official, the company denies any reports stating that they tried to copy the design of the Toyota Prius when developing their new Insight.Several recent reports have stated that the similarities between the two vehicles on the outside is striking at the least, perhaps even mimicry to some extent.

Honda's denial of the reports comes from the managing director at Honda research and development Nobuki Ebisawa. He said, "We don't think it looks like the Prius at all. There may be some similarities in the roof line, but it is clearly different."

To Honda's credit, aerodynamic design is a key aspects of any dedicated hybrid model and the most aerodynamic designs will bare a resemblance to each other. As Ebisawa said, "Considerations for maximizing aerodynamics and placing the hybrid system of electric motor and petrol engine may make for similar styling in hybrids, but the design approach at Honda has roots in the origin of the company."

Despite the claims from Honda of aerodynamics driving design, the Prius is in fact much more aerodynamically efficient than the Insight. If aerodynamics alone drove the design of a vehicle, all vehicles on the road today would look something like a Prius so it's hard to fault Honda for the near copy they produced.

Both the Prius and the Insight hit the markets earlier this summer and both have sold well. Initially, the Insight became the top selling hybrid in Japan, but the Prius quickly toppled it from it leading position. The numbers for July put the Prius well in the lead with 27,712 sales to the Insights 10,210.

If indeed both vehicles looks similar, they don't sell at the same volume indicating that looks alone does not sell a car. Arguing whether or not a vehicle copies the design of another is truly meaningless. Designers create an efficient vehicle such as the Prius by carefully designing the exterior with aerodynamics in minds. This is a scientific, carefully calculated approach that focus on numbers rather than emotion.

Source: Autocar.co.uk , Honda Defends the Insight's Design, Aug 23 2009