Teardown of Toyota’s Flagship Sedan (3)
High-rigidity body structure for crash safety, handling stability, and quietness
2016/09/13
- Summary
- Engine compartment： A linear layout for major structural components
- Cabin structure
- Rear floor structure
- Conventional door panel structure
- Rear bumper reinforcements and rear panel structure
- Lean design straight steering member
- Tightly sealed body joints
- Damping material that covers the floor panel
- Acoustic insulation in the engine room
- Acoustic insulation, absorption and vibration damping materials in the floor
- Acoustic insulation and absorption material in the cabin top
- Aerodynamic parts in the underfloor
Summary
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This is a continuation of a series reporting on a teardown analysis performed by the Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Organization of the Toyota Crown Royal, a 2.5-liter V6 engine-powered rear-wheel drive model launched in Japan in December 2012. See Teardown of Toyota's Flagship Sedan (Part 1) and Teardown of Toyota's Flagship Sedan (Part 2) for earlier reports.
This report will focus on the Crown’s body structure, and acoustic insulation and absorption materials. The platform of the 14th-generation Crown inherits the basic platform originally developed for the 12th-generation Crown, which was launched in 2003. In spite of its age, the original platform already features well-thought-out technical considerations for high-end front-engine rear-wheel drive vehicles, from the large framework to the details of small components. A unique area of the Crown’s body structure is the linear layout of components including the side members and cross members, wherein they maintain large cross-sectional areas with little curving. Japanese cars often have framework components that have curves or small cross-sections among other features aimed at maximizing cabin space. In contrast with this, the components of the Crown are laid linearly as in frame-structured vehicles to increase rigidity. Moreover, this rational body structure results in a reduction in superfluous reinforcement that is intended to reduce weight. Another notable characteristic of the Crown is the use of sealing material at panel joints to increase the sealability of the body, and keep exterior noise from filtering into the cabin, while at the same time reducing the need for additional acoustic insulation and absorption material. An upcoming report (Part 4) will contain a photo gallery and list of suppliers to conclude this series.
Previous teardown reports:
Teardown of Toyota's Flagship Sedan (Part 1)(May 2016)
Teardown of Toyota's Flagship Sedan (Part 2)(May 2016)
4th-Generation Toyota Prius
4th-Generation Toyota Prius Teardown (Part 1)(Feb. 2016)
4th-Generation Toyota Prius Teardown (Part 2) (Mar. 2016)
4th-Generation Toyota Prius Teardown (Part 3) (Mar. 2016)
4th-Generation Toyota Prius Teardown: Photo gallery (132 parts) (Apr.2016)
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