KeriBlog

Cars, Security & a Peek into my Life

Designing a Strong DRG and Graphic Signature

Know how there’s those kind of cars, you see one from a distance, it’s features can’t be made out but you can just tell – it’s a Whatever.

Design Speak: this vehicle has a strong DownRoad Graphic,
its Graphic Signature is solid.

Speaking with Kevin George – Ford’s Exterior Design Manager – we learn about the DRG, and how when confronted with an advancing object, the mind goes through “3 reads”, and how that fits with vehicle design.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Everything described above – this “graphic signature” – is happening during the day, but the designers also have to pull this off at night. 

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Refresh VS Redesign – What’s the Difference

Sounds similar, but there’s a huge difference:

Refresh = slightly updated from the previous model year
Redesign = all-new from the ground up

How to know which it is? Use the 5-year Test – typically, a vehicle is redesigned once every five years.

Read it online at Autonet.

Use this to your advantage when shopping, because all-new doesn’t mean it’s all-better (see last 3 paragraphs)

Favourite line:

Say to the salesman: Next year the car is being redesigned, so who is going to want this year’s model? It’s about to become outdated, so give me a better price!

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All Vehicles Must Contain These Features

From posts and seats, to manuals and lights, all passenger vehicles must contain certain features according to the CMVSS – Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.

I read the handbook, here’s the more interesting ones:

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

I saved the saddest for last – the note that horn emits must be a sound associated with a  warning device, meaning musical tunes are not allowed. 

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Insurance Designed for Young Drivers

Geared totally towards the most risky population segment to insure – young and new drivers – ingenie has seen success over the UK and has arrived in Canada to try and repeat success.

How it works – plug the device into your OBDII port and trade information on your driving style for a break on insurance. Prove you’re a safe driver, get discounts. Prove you drive like a d-bag, lose discounts, plus a psychologist calls you.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

If that happens, your phone will ring and a psychologist will be on the other end, who will talk to you about why you’re driving like a jerk and endangering others.

Currently, the company is modifying a device just for me to test, stay tuned for that.

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UPDATE: column concludes I’ll be testing one but that fell through; the company couldn’t modify a unit to go in a different car each week.

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OBDII Ports are About to Become All the Rage

With this year’s arrival of the connected car, you’ll soon start to see and hear all about OBDII… On-board Diagnostics, II is pronounced “two.”

OBDII – the mandatory port, found within 2 feet of all steering wheels, that’s used to access a vehicle’s computers.

Or, plug an internet-enabled device into this port, now you’re driving a “connected car.”

For more details here’s a blog post about them – OBDII Ports

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

It’s the mandatory-since-1996 port used to access the computer in your car, and we’re about to hear a lot more about it as internet-enabled devices start to flood the market and allow us to make any car a connected one.

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Also the 7th paragraph, which I filed under Predictions – we will all soon start locking our OBDII ports.

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