Domestic consumers’ preference for cars is really the most unique in the world. No matter what kind of car, it is good to have to be lengthened, and even if you drive alone, you have to be bigger. Of course, it would be better if it was long and wide enough, and it would not be considered at all. In order to cater to this hobby of Chinese people, brands such as Audi , BMW , Benz , etc., which are the most powerful brands in the international car world, have made compromises. After entering our country, it has been extended without exception. I feel embarrassed to sell it in China without adding an L. But it is rare to see cars widen. Why is this?
China's special car has become the "severely affected area" of body lengthening. It seems that you don't call a car without lengthening. Even if you only have a few centimeters, you don't know what it can be used for, but consumers just buy it every time. The reason for not being widened is not only due to the restrictions of some regulations, but also comprehensive factors such as cost and safety.
Old cars from decades ago, especially American goods, are all big and round waists. They are not only long, but also very wide. They wish they can occupy two ordinary parking spaces now. Even the two-door sedan is long and wide. This may be related to the physical fitness of Americans, but the aesthetics of automobiles decades ago were also different from those of the present. The current car trunk is basically invisible from the appearance, because it is integrated with the streamlined design of the rear windshield, while the early vehicle trunk was basically a stiff big bulge. With the changes in people's aesthetics and technological innovation, cars have become smaller and more exquisite.
However, people found that during the process of using the car, there are still different needs for the internal volume of the car. Chinese consumers prefer extended cars and do not have any special hobbies about the width of the car body. Now it is not just the joint venture car , but also the same domestically produced cars. Putting aside the demand, why do cars only lengthen but not widen? Is widening technology difficult?
First of all, we need to understand the reasons for the "extended": in China's family situation, many people think that buying larger ones can bring more people, and the old and small at home can ride a car; generally families can only buy one car, and this car must have many uses, picking up children to and from school, getting on and off work, buying things and picking up goods, etc. A car is multi-purpose and even versatile, so the large ones are always easier to use than the small ones.
And the aesthetics of Chinese people are different. We all regard big as beauty. The bigger the car, the more you drive it, you will feel that bigger cars are more grand, domineering and beautiful than small cars. American cars are relatively wide, Japanese cars steal space. If German cars don’t put some effort into this, they will not be able to impress Chinese consumers, and their competitiveness will naturally not keep up, so it is necessary to lengthen German cars.
The lengthening of a car is generally increased by adding a wheelbase. The method is to cut off the position behind the B column and move backwards as a whole. The reason is that the change of this position has the least impact on the car, and of course it also has an impact. It will change the parameters of the vehicle, including the front and rear axle load , and the center of gravity will change. It will affect the turning radius. If the suspension and steering matching of the car are not coordinated, the steering lever breaking point needs to be redesigned, which will also affect the distribution of rear braking force. It is necessary to re-matcheify ABS and the brake sub-pump. For the suspension system, it will affect the longitudinal inclination stiffness of the tilt angle.
But if widened, it will have a great impact on manipulation and should be treated with caution. Generally, domestic derivative cars on the same platform basically use extended wheelbase and wheelbase. The specific changes should be analyzed according to the model. Generally, there will be no blind widening design. It mainly depends on the body width and wheel pitch width to determine whether various data need to be changed. There are many reasons for the impact, such as wheel hub width, tire width, wheel hub ET, body height, and pre-pressure stroke of shock absorbers. Excessive widening of the wheel pitch requires modification of cantilevers, half-axis, tie rods, etc., and at the same time, it requires redesigning the extension of the sheet metal lining and the overall contour. This is not as simple as moving or not moving.The same is true for the wide body body modification of the
modification circle, but many players just want to have a good appearance. In fact, there are really any improvements in performance, and they don’t have the spare money to do the test. Is mass-produced cars not widened because they are difficult? In fact, there are many reasons why car companies only use extended versions instead of widening versions. In summary, it is that car widening more harm than good.
Fuel consumption problem: After widening, the wind resistance will be increased and the fuel consumption will be increased in disguise. Generally, cars are designed to consider the wind resistance. If widened, the wind resistance coefficient will definitely change, and the change in the wind resistance coefficient will affect the power performance and overall fuel consumption performance.
Road safety issues: When obtaining a driver's license, the A1, A2 and other driver's license requirements for those trucks and trucks are definitely different from ours, and the driving difficulty and method are also different. Those big cars are large in width, and it is difficult for ordinary drivers to control turns, stop and other operations during normal driving. If the width of ordinary cars is increased at will, it will definitely cause hidden dangers in road safety.
Cost issue: The impact of widening and lengthening on costs is completely different. The extension is the part between the front and rear suspension. Only a little longer structural parts, doors, etc. are required, which has little impact and relatively low cost. The widening means that the structure of the entire vehicle needs to be greatly improved from beginning to end, especially suspension, engine installation, chassis adjustment, etc., which is almost completely another vehicle. Although some modular cars nowadays can easily adjust the wheel spacing, the suspension changes are likely to increase costs.
Why do we see "China's special car supply" basically only lengthens but rarely widens? The reason is the above content. Car companies have also considered the three major aspects of use cost, use safety and manufacturing cost, so they have not widened their cars.
