Most auto makers won't have to add exterior airbags or implement drastic changes to meet the 2005 requirements, but much stricter legislation scheduled for 2010 could force major changes in the way vehicle front ends are designed and engineered. And in the auto industry, where new-product lead times of three and four years are common, 2010 isn't far off.

Auto makers will not be able to sell new vehicles in the European Union after Oct. 1, 2005, unless they conduct strict tests to prove their vehicles meet the new pedestrian impact rules.
All new passenger cars and light vans will have to pass two tests to meet requirements for protecting pedestrians from head and leg injuries in frontal impacts. The tests will cover impacts involving the A-pillar, bumper, the hood's leading edge and outer structure and the windshield.

In the second phase beginning in 2010, four tests of increased severity will be required. Two will cover head injuries and two leg injuries. Standards for both adults and children will have to be met. Bumpers made of flexible materials and hoods that cave in to cushion the impact will be among the changes required to meet both phases.

The directive also calls for extra space between the exterior surface and the underhood structure from the front bumper to the windshield. The 8-in. (20-cm) gap is expected to reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries by better dispersing the impact energy of a person striking an automobile's front-end, hood or windshield area.

"It will cause changes in styling and it's going to cause the OEMs to work harder to meet the requirements, but I don't think it's really going to require radical change in the way people design cars," says Jim Hadden, chief operating officer-Arup Vehicle Design Group, which has engineering centers in the U.K., Tokyo and Detroit.

"Maybe the hood will be a little higher, the bumper will be a little lower, cars will be a little more rounded, but it's not really going to make everybody completely rethink the way they do things."

Arup recently developed new pedestrian-impact analysis software designed to mesh with the digital models of new vehicle designs and help engineers meet the new standards.
However, Hadden says if the second phase of the legislation, which is not yet finalized, is implemented, "then cars will change dramatically both in the way they look and the way they are designed.

"You're going to have to have six to 12 ins. (15 cm to 30 cm) of energy-absorbing foam or something that behaves like a deployable hood all over the front of the car. Unless you can magically shrink the engine, you're going to have much larger front ends, which will have a big effect on size and mass and fuel economy," adds Hadden.

Even headlights will have to be designed differently, Arup says.

The first casualties of the pedestrian-safety push are so-called "bull bars" on SUVs and protruding hood ornaments of luxury brands such as Jaguar, Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Benz.
Bull bars, originally designed to protect SUV grilles and radiators from branches while crashing through the brush, now are almost purely ornamental and present a real threat to pedestrians. Most auto makers already have abandoned them in Europe, although some manufacturers reportedly offer soft plastic versions that are pedestrian friendly.

Jaguar's famous lunging cat, the "leaper," has all but disappeared in Europe because it can act like a spear in pedestrian collisions. The once-iconic 3-pointed star is showing up on fewer new Mercedes-Benz models, too, even though it has been mounted on a pivoting, spring-loaded base for years.

More significantly, company executives told Ward's earlier this year the 2005 legislation killed GM's plan to offer a version of its '06 Pontiac Solstice in Europe.

Light trucks with tall, upright grilles and low-slung sports cars are expected to be among the vehicles most affected by the new safety standards.

"Sadly, we were not able to get (Solstice) in on time under the 2005 pedestrian protection legislation in Europe, which is just going to radically change the look of automobiles in Europe, post-2005. The next generation of European cars is going to look different," says Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman-product development.

Lutz expects European vehicle front ends to feature horizontal hoods and flat fascias, similar to the flat, upright look of the Chrysler Group's new Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300.
"If you could imagine the (Chevy) Nomad, the (Saturn) Curve or the Solstice with the front-end sheetmetal (that) much higher, it would spoil the design concept considerably," Lutz told reporters at last January's Detroit auto show.

But instead of overhauling front-end designs, many auto makers are working with suppliers TRW Automotive, Autoliv, Siemens VDO Automotive AG and others to develop alternatives, such as so-called "active hoods," that use sensors to detect an impending collision with a pedestrian and then activate a spring or small airbag-like device to instantaneously raise the hood several inches to create the required crush space.

These safety devices are less expensive than full-blown airbags, but still are relatively complex and expensive.

"Everyone is working on it," Adam Opel AG chief Carl-Peter Forester said last winter. "And it will cost a lot of money."

Alain Charlois, director-Product Planning for Occupant Safety Systems, TRW Automotive, says the supplier is working on numerous types of active hoods, including a hood lifter - that can be raised mechanically via a spring or with pyrotechnics - that can increase the distance between the hood and engine block, as well as the possibility of inflating hood and windshield airbags. Some systems are easily "reversible" Charlois says, while others would require more serious replacement costs.

I don't give a damn how heavy or how big the new Challenger, Camaro or GT500 are. All that matters to me is they're fast, and if they can outrun the models they replace that's ****ing awesome.