This is the jargon of car designers: from Character line to Down the road graphic

character line

This line on the body is for aesthetic purposes only. The folds that run horizontally along the side of the vehicle give the flank visual definition. A character line often runs all over the car. The volume of the body is broken, visually reinforced or, for example, brought closer to the ground. This one character line often starts in the fender, or around the headlights and runs down the side profile towards – or even into the taillights.

At the ID Buzz is on the character line placed the color break of the duo-tone painting, with which both the line and the colors emphasize each other.

Renault asks the designers not to think and sketch in lines, but in volumes. This means that hardly any hard, clear lines can be seen in the bodies and therefore no hard character line can be discerned.

Clamshell hood

In automotive design, a clamshell hood is a design where the hood also includes all – or part of – the fenders. There are countless examples of the clamshell hood application and many different variations on the theme. Think of the Ford GT40 and Ferrari Enzo, where the entire rear can be lifted up to access the engine compartment. But everyday cars such as the Mini Cooper and the Alfa Romeo GTV also have a clamshell hood.

Dash to axel ratio, aka premium gab

The dash to axel ratio – or the dashboard to axle ratio – is the distance from the base of the windshield to the center of the front axle, viewed in side profile. The longer that ratio is, the better cars are generally found as a collective. Design teams are therefore fighting hard to push the engineering for the longest possible dash to axel ratio. This long distance is costly, however, as it makes crash structures in the nose more complex, as the overhang in front of the axle decreases as the dash to axel ratio grows.

By sharing chassis with manufacturers, it is often difficult for car designers to arrive at good proportions. The Bentley Continental GT is an example of this. In the first two generations, based on the Volkswagen Phaeton platform, an uncomfortably short dash to axel ratio was actually forced by the platform. Although this large overhang for the front wheel and short dash to axel ratio was very skilfully concealed by the designers through various interventions. The Volkswagen platform offered no other options than to put the front wheel almost against the door. In the third, current GT generation, the wheels have been moved significantly forward, as a result of the transition to a new platform: from the Volkswagen Phaeton to that of the Porsche Panamera.

Daylight Opening (DLO)

The shape and total surface of the glass around the passenger compartment, on the side of a car, is called the Day Light Opening. Sports cars often have the smallest, flattest DLOs. This guarantees an appearance full of drama and character, which naturally comes at the expense of the view to the outside. The DLO’s graphics are one of the few elements that can add a lot of character to the side of a car. Think of those side windows of a Chiron or the Hoffmeisterknik in the DLO of older BMWs. It makes those cars instantly recognizable when viewed from the side.

Down the road graphic

If you’ve ever tried to identify a car by the shape of its headlights at night, you’ve remembered what car designers call the down the road graphic. With the advent of LED daytime running lights, there are more ways than ever before to give cars distinctiveness through lighting design. The possibilities are endless: dramatic, angry, formal or just a friendly light signature.

BMW previously had an extremely recognizable down the road graphic, with the so-called Corona Rings, more popularly known as Angel Eyes. The entire range has its own variant of this iconic light signature and despite its worldwide success, the brand has abandoned this for incomprehensible reasons, making BMWs much less recognizable in the dark. The BMW X1 nowadays looks at the world with a squint.