Automakers look for Zen behind the wheel

Roland Jones Business news editor • Profile • E-mail

For Thomas Crahan, a car isn’t simply a metallic box resting on four wheels. It’s more like a musical instrument — a pipe organ, or a piano — and he and his team of engineers at Infiniti go to great lengths to make sure it can sing to its driver.

“We’ve coined the term ‘engine music,’” said Crahan, who is regional product manager for the Infiniti G35, Nissan’s sport luxury car.

“We are trying to create a very engaging driving experience, and also create an emotional appeal with our products. And when you look at that the emotional triggers that are in cars, sound is one of the big ones,” Crahan said.

Silence is golden, as the famous saying goes, and in an increasingly busy and stressful world, when more of us are turning to noise-canceling headphones, or meditative retreats for some peace and quiet, the automotive industry is betting more consumers are going to pay for more of it.

Crahan and his team of engineers are part of a growing trend among automakers to improve the sensory experience of driving. In the 2007 model of the Infiniti G35 due out in November, for example, they spent over two years redesigning 80 percent of the engine parts to increase stiffness and dampen engine noise. The car also has a dual-stage intake and dual exhaust to improve the engine’s “melody,” Crahan notes.

“It’s like a pipe on organ,” he said. “Acoustic engineers spend their time optimizing the harmonics through the length of the exhaust, or the intake length and volume, to create a luxurious sound,” he said. Switching to the image of playing a piano note, Crahan added: “What makes it a rich musical experience is the harmonics excited in other strings from the one note you play, and we have acoustic simulation software lets us try out different scenarios.”

There are clear benefits to offering car buyers a quieter, or more melodic cabin experience, particularly in the luxury market, notes Jack Nerad, market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, a resource for vehicle information. The trend toward quiet is driven by the growth in ultra-quiet, gas-electric engined hybrid vehicles, and also by a desire on the part of manufacturers to differentiate their product in a competitive automobile marketplace, Nerad said.

“Manufacturers want every edge and quiet is near the top of every consumer’s wish list,” he said. “When you look at what people want in their cars, not everyone wants a cushy ride and great handling. But across the board people favor silence; they consider it a major benefit. So that’s why we are seeing a lot of attention being paid to car noise management, especially on the luxury end. And like most things that start out in the luxury segment, it’s making its way quickly to lower-end vehicles.”

In the luxury vehicle segment, a car’s basic functions — comfort, style and power — are generally taken for granted, notes Crahan, and so the details matter more. Consumers are constantly looking for more refinement, he said, and so it depends on how you differentiate yourself.

“All manufacturers are getting more sophisticated at reducing noise,” said Crahan. “But not all of them want to create emotional vehicles; those that do worry about his stuff.

“You want to have people say, ‘I really want to dive this car today.’ It’s not just utilitarian,” he continued. “We all have memories of cars that give us that feeling and the goal is to deliver that feeling to our customers. When you are producing an emotional brand, you have to take the emotional cues from your customers very seriously.”

MORE FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

The Driver's Seat Section Front

Automakers turn to safety to sell cars CEO lays out ambitious Chrysler road map Plug-ins rev up; are consumers ready? As Toyota tips, VW steers for the top Battle of the ultrapremium automakers Toyota's reputation takes a pounding Saturn’s sudden death marks end of dream Automakers go ‘camo’ to thwart spy shots Automakers to lose stars in new crash tests Mazda giving green twist to rotary engine The Driver's Seat Section Front   Add The Driver's Seat headlines to your news reader: