Drivers Want Quiet Cars

American car buyers have always been known forthe players in the auto industry that has taken steps to
their preference for high performance vehicles. Asidecombat wind noise are General Motors, Hyundai, and
from offering the essentials, their vehicle of choiceFord. These car companies are developing new
needs to have at least a small degree ofmaterials to user on their vehicles to reduce the noise
luxuriousness. Luxury aside, car buyers also opt forreaching the interior of the vehicle.
high performance vehicles which come with aAside from using new materials, these companies are
responsive handling and very comfortable seats.also working out new manufacturing techniques to
Recently though, the American International Automobilefurther improve noise reduction. Noise control engineers
Dealers Association (AIADA) reported that car buyersare also being employed by these companies to
are now changing their preferences and are alsooversee the development of quiet cars.
looking for another special attribute that a vehicleHyundai, the biggest Korean car maker, is using
should possess. The association reported that driverselectronically controlled adjustable engine mounts in the
are becoming more and more enamored with silentnew Veracruz sport utility vehicle. Aside from the
cars.adjustable motor mount which is as tough as a Volvo
The Wall Street Journal reported that the main causerotor, the Korean brand also integrated extra thick
of a vehicle’s noise is its age. As a vehicle ages,lightweight foam insulations on the said SUV. The
just like humans, it exhibits flaws which may eveninsulation reduces the amount of noise coming from
result to car breakdowns. The international dailythe engine bay that goes right into the vehicle’s
newspaper cited that the worst cause of noise incockpit.
vehicles is wind. This actually refers to that sound thatThese improvements on newer models of vehicle
is produced when the wind flows over the outline ofclose the gap between luxury and non-luxury vehicles.
the vehicle.As the cost of production of materials used in noise
This is why car makers are looking to decrease thereduction go lower, more and more vehicles will
coefficient of drag of their vehicles. Lowering thebecome quieter. This shows that the auto industry is
coefficient of drag not only gives the car a goodalways tuned to what their consumers want. It is
appearance but it also increases the top speed andcommon that motorists associate the absence of
lowers the amount of noise produced by the windnoise inside a cockpit to overall quality and the new
flowing over the vehicle.vehicles being manufactured by car makers are
The noise as the car ages has always been one ofblurring the distinction between a luxury and non-luxury
the problems of automobiles. Car manufacturers arevehicle. This, of course, will serve to benefit the
already taking steps to address the problem. Some ofconsumers.