For car makers, the sales future is looking decidedly grey

We are, in case it had escaped your notice, an ageing population. Notwithstanding the recent baby boom that pushed maternity services in Ireland to the limit, we are ageing as fast as the rest of the western world.

Historically low birth rates, increasing life spans and ever-improving medical care means that not only the proportion of older people in the country is going to increase, but just the plain, raw numbers will. In fact, according to Central Statistics Office projections, by 2046 one quarter of the Irish population will be pensionable age and beyond, up from 17 per cent in 2026 and 11 per cent in 2011.

Quite apart from the expected increased strain on medical services, pensions and social security, there will be a significant effect on the cars we buy and how they are built.

When the recession struck in 2008, it soon became clear that the majority of car buyers going into showrooms of their on volition, with their own cash (as opposed to those buying on a fleet scheme) were of the older variety. Older buyers, the “grey euro” as it were, often have greater purchasing power these days than their younger counterparts, something demonstrated by recent surveys which have shown a large number of older parents supporting their grown-up kids who have been hit hard by recession and austerity.

Baby boomers
Car makers have cottoned on to this fact, and not just recently. Increasingly, the needs and peccadilloes of older buyers are being taken into account when cars are being designed (please, no snide comments about beige paint becoming more popular).

We heard just recently about Ford's "drink driving suit" which impairs the movements and vision of a perfectly sober person to demonstrate what driving under the influence is actually like, but Ford is not new to this game. For some time, it has had an "old suit" – one that restricts the motions of certain joints and which can fog the vision of a younger car designer so that they can see their design through elderly eyes.

Speaking in Canada's Metro magazine, Sheryl Connelly, global consumer trends and futuring manager for Ford, said that "the baby boomers have always been an important segment, not only because of their numbers but also because of their affluence. For them, the car has always been an iconic symbol of status.

“They’re are ageing, but they’re ageing in a way that is also unprecedented. They’re not like their grandparents. They’re really an active segment, but there are some changes happening that come with ageing such as reduced response time, impaired vision and limited range of motion. Our designers and engineers think about how we anticipate the needs of a rapidly ageing population and what we can do to design the car so these changes don’t affect the utility and the joy of car ownership.”

But what exactly are designers doing to make life easier for older drivers, and how will it affect the cars we young ’uns (and eventually we old ’uns) will be in the future?

Olaf Preuss is the engineering general manager, Human Factors Centre at Opel, and he told The Irish Times that"increasingly, the more mature driver is looking for a car that simply creates an emotional buzz but also delivers the highest possible level in physical comfort, cabin-layout, safety, design and ergonomics. These are all qualities that are presented in all Opel cars and in particular the Opel Meriva.

“Perhaps the first thing that is considered when looking for a car is the ease entry and exit and is perhaps something that’s taken for granted by other age groups. This is separated into driver ergonomics and passenger comfort. When designing Opel cars, we track and investigate the ease of entry and exit for the driver. We consider the seating position that enables better forward visibility. With models such as the Meriva, the higher seating position provides this aspect.

“The design of instruments is also part of the cross departmental work between design and our human factors team. We design components for optimal legibility and low cognitive load, aligned with good contrast and harmonious appearance. We check the smallest details such as scaling factors, fonts, font heights and spacing, and understanding of symbols, in early design phases. The aim is to have instruments and driver assistance aids easily accessible, understandable in a short space of time.”

Ergonomics
The Meriva (a car which Opel has just given a facelift and fitted with a new family of diesel engines) seems particularly well-suited to older drivers. As Preuss explained, those rear-opening doors aren't just a gimmick – they swing wider (83 degrees against a more normal 68 degrees) to make the door opening bigger and make it easier for those with restricted motion (or just a bad back or a gyppy leg) to get in and out.

It’s not just the ergonomics that get looked at; mechanical elements have their part to play too. “The gear-shifter is also conveniently positioned higher in the Meriva so that the customer does not need to overtly extend their arm to move it,” says Preuss. “Although not designed specifically for the older generation, Opel’s transmissions across the range have been improved, thanks to Opel’s €50 million investment into the optimisation of its five- and six-speed gearboxes. Numerous changes to their components and the gear-change mechanisms, as well as to their integration into the vehicle have ensured a substantial enhancement in the smoothness and precision of gear shifting.”

All of which is very clever but all of which equally leaves car makers with something of a dilemma to face in car design in the next decades. In order to make a new car exciting enough to convince us to part with our hard-earned cash, it helps to be low-slung, sporty, noisy and sleek. But to make it palatable on a day-to-day basis, to an ever-increasing number of customers, it needs to be tall, airy, comfy and refined.

Whatever about filling the pensions gap, that gap could yet create havoc in the world of vehicle design