Automobile Body Styles and Design

Part One
THE SUV

SUV's have existed since the 30's, not really reaching popularity until the 90's. SUV's are built on a truck frame and have a powerful engine performance. One of the first popular SUV's (in the U.S.) was the Jeep. There was a huge demand at the time (during WWII) for a four-wheel-drive vehicle. SUV's are generally associated with toughness and off-road handling manners. Though SUV's were known for being more of the off-road-trails type of vehicle, there are also the "luxury" products; with cars like the Range Rover and the Cadillac Escalade. Increasingly, the SUV is becoming a suitable vehicle choice for the luxury-minded drivers. Price ranges vary for this vehicle.

THE SPORTS CAR

Sports cars are often intended to create an atmosphere of fun and speed for the driver. These types of vehicles are on-road performers, not requiring a specific body style. Sports cars can be built using convertible, coupe, and sedan body-styles. Most sports cars are associated with racing, whether it be street racing or professional auto track racing. The pricing range for sports cars ranges broadly from under $20,000 into the millions. Despite the massive horsepower of some sports cars, the future of this vehicle category is increasingly becoming enriched with power-train technology such as hybrid drive platforms.

THE DIESEL 

Diesel engines have two main advantages over their gasoline-powered counterparts. The benefits of this typically applies to truck buyers looking for a vehicle with maximum towing and hauling capacity. Diesel-power is also being integrated with mid-sized trucks to improve fuel efficiency. Companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have started to offer diesel-fueled engines in North America due to how popular it is getting.

 

THE SEDAN

Sedan's are mostly known as a family car. The sedan is classified under the categories: family sedan, sports sedan, or luxury sedan. Family sedans are priced within reach of most new car customers and sell interior space. The Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Bentley Mulsanne are some examples of luxury sedans. For drivers who want the exhilaration of a sports car but prefer seat-passenger room, sports sedans are a popular vehicle type.

THE CROSSOVER

Crossover's are a diverse vehicle type, featuring the height of a truck-based vehicle with the build of car-like body-frame. For most drivers in the city, the crossover is a better option than a sport utility vehicle. Affordable family crossovers include the Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. Wagons like the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 are considered crossover vehicles since they have all-wheel drive as well as other off-road touches.

Part Two 

Automobile Design

Typically it takes three years to create a vehicle, give or take. The design of a vehicle is called "problem solving" because they have to have an artist state of mind for this, but also must be following a set of engineering constraints. They must also come up with something that is aesthetically pleasing, making sure it looks good and works good. They start out by sketching the design (usually this is done via computer software,) it is then put onto an engineering platform telling them where exactly the occupant is going to sit (or where the steering-wheel has to be, etc.,) they figure out then where all of the basic criteria that they must build around. After they evolve the sketches and make sure everything works well together, they begin the feasibility stage. There is a lot of pressure for them - they must now fit into rigid time-frames and are given only such an amount of time. They must maintain the integrity of the design while also maintaining the quality criteria of the design.

I think it could be possible that engineering vehicles could interest me, I really like working with technology and I think this type in particular is really cool, and might be something I'd try. The majority of my family and their occupations include vehicles, whether it's with the technology or the automobile itself, but when it comes to the new-school type of technology - that is what interests me the most. Not so much working on cars, but more of the engineering process and things like that.