Study on European market-oriented passenger car design based on quantitative representation of shape characteristics

Due to the poor evaluation of the design of Japanese cars in the European market, this study proposes an evaluation to improve the rating of Japanese cars by Europeans. First, the concept of passenger car design evaluation is defined. Based on this definition, the appearance of a front image of a passenger car is decomposed into primitive components, and each component is analyzed in terms of shape, size, and position information. The shape information can be evaluated by two quantitative methods: Fourier series expression and aspect ratio calculation. To validate the evaluation method, five Volkswagen, four Peugeot, and three Toyota cars are sampled. The analysis indicates obvious differences in the headlights and radiator grille. Furthermore, a design modification method is proposed. Because design differences between European and Japanese cars are quantitatively evaluated, identifying necessary modifications should be easy. As a trial, one Toyota car design is modified by changing the features of the radiator grille and headlights to more closely resemble the characteristic shape of European cars. Then to validate the design modification, a design image investigation is conducted with the cooperation of 39 German citizens. This investigation demonstrates the design evaluation is effectively improved by altering the design of the headlights and radiator grille.