First, what is the layout?
The layout here refers to how to arrange the relative positions of various parts of a car in the whole car, that is, the overall layout of the whole car. The layout scheme is generally decided by the chief engineer, but it is very important for the body stylist to have a good understanding and even the ability to decide the overall layout, because the automobile structure is much more complicated and changeable than other industrial products. Taking TV sets as an example, the internal structure of all TV sets is almost the same, almost cubic, and the shape (that is, the shell) provides few functions, so there is no need to have the concept of "layout" in the design of TV shell; However, the internal structure of a car is much more complicated than that of a TV set, and the requirements for its functions are very strict (such as passenger/cargo space, ergonomic requirements, etc.). ), which constitutes many conditions that must be followed in the process of modeling design. Therefore, automobile designers must have a clear and definite layout concept in order to design an excellent functional automobile appearance. In fact, many breakthrough layout schemes were conceived by designers in the conceptual design stage.
Second, the layout elements
The layout elements of a car include engine, transmission system, cockpit, luggage compartment, exhaust system, suspension system, fuel tank, spare tire, etc. The first three elements: engine, transmission system and cockpit are the three elements that determine the layout. According to these "three elements", the layout can be divided into front engine front drive (FF), front engine rear drive (FR), middle engine (MR) and rear engine (RR). An excellent layout scheme should meet the required functions (such as manned, freight, off-road and so on). ), so that all parts work well.
Here is a brief introduction to various layout schemes:
1) Front engine rear wheel drive (FR)
As shown in Figure A, the engine is placed in the front of the car, longitudinally connected with the gearbox, and drives the rear wheel through the transmission shaft. Most of the earliest cars used FR layout, and now they are mainly used for mid-to high-end cars. Its advantage is that the axle load is evenly distributed, that is, the front and rear weights of the whole vehicle are relatively balanced, so the handling stability is better. According to the physical principle, when the rear-wheel drive wheel rotates, the tire adhesion utilization rate is better than that of the front-wheel drive, which is the main reason why the middle and large-sized cars (with high horsepower and torque) adopt rear-wheel drive. The disadvantages of FR are that there are many transmission parts, the transmission system is heavy, and the transmission shaft running through the engine room occupies the platform space of the engine room. In order to accommodate the transmission shaft, the platform of the middle seat in the back seat of any RV with FR is raised, which greatly affects the foot space and ride comfort, which can be said to be the biggest disadvantage of FR.
2) Front engine front wheel drive (FF)
Putting the engine across the front of the car and directly driving the front wheel through the gearbox can save the transmission shaft, thus solving the floor problem of the FR layout car. This scheme is called FF layout (Figure B). FF is the layout mode adopted by most micro, small and medium-sized cars at present. In addition to lowering the platform of the car, FF also has advantages in handling. Because the center of gravity is forward and the front wheels generate driving force, FF's vehicle has obvious characteristics of understeer in handling, which belongs to the safe and steady tendency in vehicle handling evaluation and is an ideal feature of civil vehicles. Anti-sideslip ability is also stronger than FR. However, as mentioned before, the utilization rate of the driving wheel adhesion of FF is small, and the driving wheel adhesion will decrease when going uphill. The driving and steering structure of the front wheel is complex, and the engine and transmission system (gearbox, clutch, etc. ) are concentrated in the engine compartment, which limits the possibility of using large engines. This is the main reason why large cars don't use FF. In order to solve this problem, the FF layout of vertical engines has appeared in recent years (FF engines used to be horizontal), so that larger engines can be used. For example, Honda Legend with a 3.5-liter V6 engine and Audi A6 with a 2.8-liter V6 engine are among the few medium and large FF cars.
3) engine center rear wheel drive (MR)
That is, the layout of the engine between the front and rear axles. The biggest advantage is obviously uniform axial load and very neutral handling characteristics. The disadvantage is that the engine occupies the engine room space, which reduces the space utilization and practicality. Therefore, most sports cars that use MR are sports cars that pursue handling performance.
General MR layout, the engine is placed behind the seat and in front of the rear axle, which is more reasonable; In recent years, a layout mode called "front center engine" has appeared, that is, the engine is placed behind the front axle and in front of the occupants to drive the rear wheels. Formally, this layout should belong to FR type, but it can achieve the same ideal axial load distribution as MR, thus improving the maneuverability. Both BMW 3 Series and Honda S2000 belong to this type.
4) Rear engine rear wheel drive (RR)
Because of its compact structure, there is neither a heavy transmission shaft nor a complicated front wheel steering and driving structure, it was widely used in mini-cars in the early days. Its disadvantage is that the rear axle load is large, and there will be an excessive steering tendency opposite to FF in handling, that is, the high-speed cornering stability is poor and it is easy to slip. There are very few cars that still use RR layout. Porsche 9 1 1 is one of them, and its easy-to-shake handling characteristics are also famous.
5) Four-wheel drive
Whether it is a front, middle or rear engine, four-wheel drive can be used. Because all four wheels have power, the utilization rate of adhesion is the highest, but its obvious disadvantage is that it is heavy and takes up a lot of space. In addition, the power loss rate is greater than that of single-axis drive. Previously, four-wheel drive was only used for off-road vehicles. In recent years, with the development and application of limited slip differential technology, four-wheel drive system has been able to accurately distribute torque between wheels, so in order to improve handling, more and more high-performance sports cars have been adopted.
Turning Life into a Car —— An Interview with Giorgetto, a Master of Automobile Design
Speaking of Giorgetto, everyone in the circle knows that he is a world-famous master of automobile design. Many famous cars were written by him, such as the resurrected Bugatti luxury sports car, BMW M 1, Masarati 3200GT, Chevrolet Corvette Mare and Alfa Romeo's latest version of VISCONTI, and the most famous concept cars of German Volkswagen and Toyota Lexus GS300.
Facing Giorgetto, I found that he was not as mysterious as the media introduced him. In the conversation, he is an expert design businessman, who knows not only the market, but also life. No matter his manners or his clothes, he strongly conveys the message that he is a master.
China needs car design.
"China needs car design." Giorgetto said straight to the point as soon as they met. He believes that China is now entering the threshold of the automobile age, and needs automobile design to support and enrich the types of automobiles, just like clothing, which needs diversification. Perhaps it is based on this judgment that Giorgetto specially came to China to participate in this year's auto china, so as to feel the enthusiasm of China people for cars.
"We are a company providing professional technical service design," Giorgetto said bluntly. "We are not the same as multinational companies, but the third party serving enterprises. From creativity to styling design, to engineering design and even vehicle manufacturing technology, we can provide it. It is a professional company that enhances the competitiveness of products for enterprises. "
Giorgetto knows very well that at present, China's automobile industry lacks nothing but design. For China automobile enterprises, the investment in manufacturing hardware is not worse than any other automobile enterprises in the world, especially the equipment of several famous mainstream automobile enterprises is world-class. However, it is difficult for these enterprises, which are controlled in technology and development, to have an independent right to speak. Joe said that he is engaged in automobile design and has a better understanding of the development of major automobile companies in the world. His products are "selling design" or "selling creativity". For him, any kind of car can be designed as long as he is willing to pay the price. His design library stores the design data of more than 200 cars, and can transform various models for you to choose from. Joe's said that we can design concepts, design models or engineering designs for you, and provide turnkey projects (designing and developing cars that can be produced).
What matters is creativity.
It should be said that Joe's fame and influence in China is still in recent years. As early as five or six years ago, Joe set his sights on China. First, I explored the camp in Shenzhen, and once wanted to cooperate with a design company in Shenzhen. Later, he often appeared in international auto shows in Shanghai and Beijing. There are several versions of the information I have collected about Italian Giorgetto Design Company. So I said to Joe's, you should thank Brilliance and Nanjing Fiat for their fame in China and enhance your popularity.
As we all know, Zhonghua and Palio were designed by Giorgetto. Palio, in particular, is inseparable from Giorgetto's "taking advantage" in the promotion and introduction of the whole brand, such as the special car in China and the current Spark. When we say that Paliod is permeated with Italian elegant and charming style, it is actually Joe's interpretation of life. Today, among all family cars in China, Palio's unique style is called the most attractive and tasteful personalized family car by fashionistas.
In this regard, I asked Joe's, how did you design this car? Joe said that for westerners, cars are props reflecting lifestyle. As the carrier of exquisite life, Palio must first be full of life interest, its body should be full of vitality and vitality, elegant but not vulgar, reflecting the mood that meets the needs of young people; Secondly, from the front face to the back end, the design technique is in one go, smooth and without any "burden", giving people simple affinity, conforming to aerodynamic principles, and highlighting sports and spirituality; In addition, the performance of the whole vehicle is specially designed for people who like cars, which is not only convenient to control, but also more comfortable to drive. I joked that Paliod is like a friend or lover who can talk and communicate, like a person who is integrated into a painting, or a person's painting in a painting, a flowing landscape.
Joe said knowingly, if there is such an effect, the design will be successful. "Palio's design tone is interesting life, which should be lively everywhere, giving people a pleasing feeling and being subtle at the same time." He revealed that the updated version of Palio has been completed, which is more perfect than the current model. This is also something that Joe is happy about when he talks about Paliod. He said that Paliod's original idea was to design a "world car" for the international market. Now it is very popular not only in Brazil and other countries, but also in China, a big country with a population of 65.438+0.3 billion. This is really a great relief.
As a world-class master of automobile design, Joe has the experience of applying the elegance of westerners and the implication of orientals to zhonghua car. I said, strictly speaking, the concept of China Car was designed by China people, and you just translated it into the design language and expressed it through advanced technical means. Joe didn't disagree with this. He said that for designers, what is important is creativity and understanding of life and consumption patterns. When Brilliance found him, he first designed an MPV and then a car. Unexpectedly, after fully understanding the customer's requirements, the Chinese car was designed first. Joe said that this is also in line with our design philosophy, that is, "according to the research on consumer interests and needs, change the taste of end customers in advance." However, he thinks that if Brilliance had given them the engineering design, perhaps this car would have been more successful. Through the process of designing China cars, Joe basically understood the needs of China people and their understanding of cars. This strengthened Joe's confidence in entering the design market in China.
Designers are also businessmen.
Interestingly, Joe put three cars (BMW roadster, SPARK, China Car) in the "practice booth" at the Beijing Auto Show. I noticed that one of the sparks is the domestic car that everyone is familiar with. Joe said that this car was 1998 and he designed Matiz for Daewoo. The smooth shape makes this car exquisite, delicate and lovely, like an elf. This is a classic in mini-car design. No wonder when introducing this car, American General Motors specifically mentioned that it was Joe's masterpiece and the most beautiful car in the world.
In a brief interview, Joe revealed his plan to open up the design market in China. According to his experience in dealing with Japanese and Korean automobile companies, he thinks that China is hungry for automobile design, just like Japan and South Korea 20 years ago, and needs design to change the image of local cars. He repeatedly stressed that joint venture is a profit-making behavior for the purpose of the market, and it is impossible to support the partners to become their own competitors. This is a golden opportunity for a design company like him to provide product development and design technology and personnel training without reservation. In this regard, Joe told me that his company has set up a representative office in Shanghai and started to cooperate with some automobile companies.
Humor, maturity and sophistication, refusal to be frivolous and attention to detail are the basic impressions left by Giorgetto in the interview. When I asked him to take a photo in front of the bus and Palio, he deliberately wore a suit and made a casual gesture generously before taking a photo. When I asked about the world's automobile design trends, Joe's eyes did not show the authority to point out the mountains and rivers, but calmly discussed with you the viewpoints of automobile design, such as modeling, style, production, technology and service. He said that design is the language translation of lifestyle, not simply playing avant-garde and classical or fashionable and deep, but a knowledge that combines life language with technical language. Automobile is a special symbol, and its deep layer is a materialized culture. Successful designs are supported by wonderful humanistic elements, which show the ingenious application of advanced technology.
Through the interview, Joe introduced me to Giorgetto, a master designer, and Giorgetto, a designer businessman. As he himself said, designers should not only meet the special requirements of customers, but also reflect market trends and customer expectations. So it seems no exaggeration to say that designers are half businessmen (market experts) in a sense.