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Issue link: https://adp.epubxp.com/i/629442
www.ADandP.media As for the interior, Evert says that when it came to the exte- rior design review in Japan—remember this is a case where there needs to be buy-in by various constituencies, such as sales, engineering and manufacturing—there was agreement across the board. But for the instrument panel design, things weren't quite as smooth. There were two approaches pre- sented. One that Evert describes as "traditional sporty." Like the two-level instrument cluster that appears in the 9th gen- eration, perhaps? "No. More Gundam style," Evert answers, referring to the anime robots that are exceedingly popular in Japan. And one of the global executives really liked it. Meanwhile, there was another constituency that was inter- ested in what Evert describes as "more of an elegant style." While it had been presented and didn't get the nod, there was a group of development personnel from both Japan and the U.S. who really liked that approach. Evert admits that compared to the "traditional sporty" IP that had been presented, the "elegant" variation wasn't as fully developed for the presenta- tion. So the designers and engineers went "underground" for a few weeks, and refned the IP property. Chief engineer Kariya agreed that it was better. Then he had to make the case for that IP. Which is what he did and which is in the car. Evert explains the role of the large project leader not only in instances like this, but in all important aspects of the develop- ment program: "The LPL always has to propose to the overall executives what the plan is, what the intended vehicle will be. He has to set all the targets: It is going to look like this, perform like this, and this is its price. The LPL creates the total package." Then he has to get that plan agreed to by the upper executive team. While getting that agreement was undoubtedly challeng- ing (after all, changing people's minds isn't easy), it probably wasn't quite as challenging as what shorting the front over- hang did. This means that there is less space for crash energy management. So what the engineers in Raymond did for the new Civic is design a "crash stroke structure" that, in the case of a frontal accident, causes the front frame to hinge such that the engine goes down and rearward, so that the crash energy is channeled to the foor of the vehicle and the cabin intrusion is minimized. Notable about this development is that although the front overhang is reduced by 1.4 in., there is an addition of 3.2 in. to the energy-absorbing crash stroke. While on the subject of the foor, it is worth noting that they're using a 590-MPa steel to produce it. And while on the subject of steel, the 10th-generation Civic's body uses 59% high-strength steel (HSS) by weight and 14% ultra-high- strength steel (UHSS). While the amount of HSS is up from 55%, the quantity of UHSS is up from 1% in the previous-gen- eration Civic. One consequence of this is that even though the new car is bigger than the outgoing, the unibody is lighter by some 68 lb. What's more, the 2016 Civic is more rigid than the 2015: its global bending rigidity is up 19% and the torsional rigidity up 23%. This leads to a structure that lends itself to better ride and handling, which is what they were looking for in a sporty vehicle: light, strong and stif. (The use of hydraulic bushings— on the front suspension of all models and on the rear, too, on the EX Turbo and Touring models—also help provide a sporty yet smooth ride.) Stifness is also enhanced by the use of short-pitch welding in critical areas of the unibody: rather than placing the spots 40 to 45 mm apart, they are located just 20 mm apart. In addi- tion to which, they're using T-direction welding on the forward edge of the front door hinge pillars in place of overlapping welded joints. The use of a longitudinal welded seam instead works better in IIHS narrow ofset frontal collision tests, where the wheel moves rearward and strikes the pillar. But before leaving the subject of safety and steel, there is the use of what they call "soft zones" in the otherwise UHSS structures. Evert explains these zones improve crash energy management in both the B-pillars and rear frame rails. The components are produced with 1,500 MPa hot-stamped steel. Sections of the B-pillar are annealed at a diferent rate so that they have a material strength of 550 to 650 MPa rather than 1,500. This softer area allows the B-pillar to bend during a side collision, thereby channeling the energy away from the passenger compartment. Similarly, the soft zones in the two rear frame rails (two zones per rail) are at 700 to 800 MPa. Should a rear impact occur, the rails fold in a controlled three-bend manner. Not only do these soft zones contribute to improved safety characteristics, they save weight, too, with a 6.8-lb. savings for the B-pillars and 8.8 lb. for the rear frame rails. Safety, of course, is not all about steel and structures. Sensors play an ever-increasing role. According to Evert, the 2016 Civic is available with "the most-robust version of Honda Sensing yet." That's as in safety and driver-assist tech- nology. The system makes use of both millimeter-wave radar and a monocular camera. The suite includes collision miti- gation braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow (with low speed going all the way down to zero). "I've been at Honda for over 25 years," Evert says. "I've been involved in a lot of projects. But I've never been with a team that was as passionate and as committed to delivering something." Clearly, the development team worked to go above and beyond, to create something that is truly world class, given their charter. "I've been at Honda for over 25 years. I've been involved in a lot of projects. But I've never been with a team that was as passionate and as committed to delivering something." —Gary Evert 29 AD&P; ∕ JANUARY 2016 CIVIC