GE Helps Honda Add Style, Aerodynamics, and Rear Visibility to the 2006 European Civic Hatchback with a Unique, Integrated “Extra Window”

The Honda Civic is one of the world’s most popular cars, due to its combination of style and practicality. In designing the 2006 hatchback model, which is sold in Europe, Honda wanted to incorporate an aggressive new styling element termed an “extra window.” This curved piece of glazing is placed below the rear window and incorporates both a spoiler and brake-light indicator. A large, complex part, the extra window presented design and manufacturing challenges that ruled out traditional glass and even some plastics. To achieve the required part integration as well as superior performance and weatherability while ensuring good rear visibility for the driver, Honda’s Tier 1 supplier, Freeglass, chose to work with GE Plastics.

GE Plastics and Honda

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The Challenge: Balancing Futuristic Style with Everyday Functionality

Since its establishment in 1948, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has grown to become the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer, one of the leading automakers, and much more. With a global network of 437 subsidiaries and equity-method affiliates, Honda develops, manufactures, and markets a wide variety of products ranging from small general-purpose engines and scooters to specialty sports cars.

In creating the 2006 Honda Civic hatchback, which is manufactured in the UK and sold only in Europe, Honda sought a fresh design that would add aggressive, edgy styling while continuing the Civic’s tradition of practicality. Honda conceptualized a unique glazing element termed an “extra window.” This crescent-shaped part, located just below the rear window, would integrate a spoiler for improved aerodynamics, as well as the brake-light indicator for part consolidation.

However, the extra window design presented a number of challenges, ranging from the large size and complexity of the component to the need for adequate driver visibility without distortion. Several material solutions were investigated and glass was quickly ruled out, because it could not accommodate the sharp curvature of the part. Glass also had the drawback of heavier weight compared to plastic.

So Honda and Tier 1 supplier, Freeglass GmbH, focused on plastic glazing – but which material would be best? Requirements included weatherability, scratch resistance, impact resistance, and high stiffness. Based on all available data, polycarbonate (PC) showed the best fit to meet the requirements.

Dr. Gerald Aengenheyster, Managing Director of Freeglass said, “Because of our excellent relationship with GE Plastics, and the company’s wide-ranging portfolio of high-performance materials, we consulted them about the best solution for the extra window. By combining Lexan polycarbonate resin with a special silicone hard coating, GE was able to meet all our requirements.”

The Solution: Hard-coated GE Lexan* GLX Resin Drives Design Flexibility, Cost and Weight Reduction, and Performance

GE Plastics proposed transparent, injection-molded Lexan GLX resin combined with a silicone hardcoat for the extra window application. Lexan GLX resin provides high impact strength, stiffness, and light weight that are especially valuable in automotive glazing applications. For protection against abrasion and degradation from UV light and chemicals, the resin is coated with a silicone-based hardcoat.

“GE’s breadth and depth of products allowed us to choose the right combination of resin and hardcoat to meet each of the requirements for this complicated part,” said Volker Kessler, Industry Manager for Body Panels and Glazing, GE Plastics. “Not only did our solution make it possible to commercialize a futuristic design concept – which integrated three distinct elements – but also delivered the everyday performance that Honda is renowned for.”

The Benefits: Unique Glazing with Sleek Aerodynamics Wins SPE Award

The GE solution not only enabled Freeglass to successfully produce the extra window, but it helped Honda and Freeglass win an award from the Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE) Europe. The part won third place in the Body Exteriors category for 2006.

The design flexibility of Lexan GLX PC vs. glass made it possible to create the dramatic 3D crescent-shaped part and to seamlessly integrate the spoiler and the brake-light mount. The combined glazing element provides eye-catching styling as well as sleek aerodynamics for the hatchback.

“Thanks to the extra window, the Civic’s overall design is fresher and more exciting – and it has proved very attractive to customers,” said Stuart Cock, Senior Project Engineer. “This model has been selling extremely well.”

From a performance standpoint, the GE resin provides better impact resistance and stiffness than PMMA. The durable hardcoat protects the window from abrasion due to road debris and chemicals such as salt, as well as UV degradation. In fact, this hardcoat provided four times better performance than competing products in accelerated weathering tests.

The crystal clarity of Lexan resin provides optimal visibility for the driver, helping to increase safety. Furthermore, using PC allows a larger area of visibility compared to existing glass use. This could result in increased safety for the driver as issues related to classical design of such cars is that visibility to the rear is limited, which sometimes generates criticism in car testing.

“Partnering with GE Plastics and Freeglass enabled our team to successfully create and produce the most complicated 3D polycarbonate glazing component to date,” said Cock. “The aesthetics, performance, and style of the extra window have been recognized by the auto industry and, more importantly, by our customers.”

Details at: www.corporate.honda.com

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