Alex tremulis, best remembered as the designer of the Tucker, once emplored his colleagues to "stop torturing air!" Maybe they're finally listening. The hacked-off-tail look, typified by double rear glass panels, is a modern interpretation of the ideas of Dr. Wunibald Kamm and Baron von Koenig-Fashsenfeld in the 1930s. Together they recognized that most of the aerodynamic value of an ideal streamline shape could be had in a fairly practical vehicle by slicing away the trailing end once it's tapered to about 50 percent of the car's maximum cross-section. While all four of these modern hybrid, or plug-in hybrid Kammbacks, are impressively aerodynamic, the new Prius appears to have done its homework particularly well. Note its very low nose and wind-deflecting front corners. Both it and the upcoming Volt also feature sharp-edged rear corners to facilitate a clean departure of the airstream. The new Insight is a puzzle, however, as its Cd is actually 0.01 higher than the (admittedly, rather slippery) Civic Hybrid's. A lapse of attention to detail? Or was Honda's goal simply to mimic the Prius's popular appearance? Either way, the Kammback-or "Prius Profile"-will become increasingly common as the EPA's 2020 mandate for a 35 mpg fleet average draws nearer, a thought that would make Alex Tremulis smile.
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