Automotive Design and Production

OCT 2013

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AD&P; > October 2013 > FEATURE > Moray Callum on Ford Design > Gary S. Vasilash > gsv@autofeldguide.com says, noting that there is tremendous importance in getting that right. So this means more time and attention than at any time before. And then, of course, there is the consideration of fuel efciency, which, for designers, takes the form of aerodynamic challenges. "Unfortunately, aero is not always the prettiest-looking thing. That's part of our problem. It is surprising what people think is an aerodynamic shape and what actually is an aerodynamic shape. A lot of our issues are trying to make the design as aero as possible but at the same time making it aesthetically pleasing aero, not just what the wind tunnel says." [A side note to this quest for aero. When asked about the actual practice of design, he answers, "We still sketch. We may sketch digitally, but that's for efciency." Here's something that you may think is a matter of course, but actually isn't always: "We still required our designers to draw cars. The best way for someone to understand form is to draw it in 2D so they can express it in 3D." But use digital tools they do. "The advantage to the digital is that you can create a surface that engineering can use, and that we can use in aero testing, too."] Fusion is a good example of that. It looks like it has a slipperier shape. The profle of the car, the centerline section, really appears quite fuid, even the uplifting lines on the side. That's the perceived aero. The actual aero are the elements like the hard edges on the rear bumper and tail lamps." Callum explains that aero, for example, calls for square corners—"what everyone thinks is anti-aero"—more than it does swoopy shapes. The goal is to get the air to break cleanly and abruptly from the vehicle's surfaces. Which is one reason why, if you look carefully, you'll see small square edges on the surface of tail lamps. (Bringing us back to the additional work that designers now do.) In addition to aero, there is considerable focus on making vehicles lighter. This is being achieved, in part, by using diferent materials, which, Callum points out, afects design. "Aluminum," he says, "is a little more difcult to work with than steel. We can't do all the things with aluminum as we can with steel." It is a matter, he says, of formability. Callum talks about working to achieve "visual efciency," something that achieves the goal of a smoother surface while still having visual appeal. "The Which brings up another company that once was under the Ford umbrella (until 2008), a company that is making its bones with aluminum structures and bodies. Making beautiful cars. It is Jaguar. The Director of Design at Jaguar is Ian Callum*. Moray's older brother. Which undoubtedly makes the pair the most infuential siblings in all of design. So, what accounts, perhaps, for the diference vis-à-vis designing and executing in aluminum at Jaguar vs. at Ford? One way to look at it is this: According to Autodata (motorintelligence.com), in 2012, Jaguar sold 12,011 cars in the U.S. Ford: 2,243,009. So presumably, there is the mass production challenge that Jag doesn't have to address in terms of getting out formed panels PDQ. What's more, Moray Callum faces the challenge of appealing to a mass market while Ian has a much more restricted clientele. p The "console-mounted media hub" in the Ford Explorer. Ten years ago, designers would simply have to concern themselves with designing a radio and CD slot, not a "media hub." "Which makes my job much more difcult than my brother's," he says. Of course, that's what younger brothers always say. *See: autofeldguide.com/articles/ ian-callum-on-jaguar-design 32

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