"Porter Face Changing?"... Car Design Altered According to Safety Regulations

1t Truck Porter, Front Design Change Preview
Engine Room Position Likely to Change Due to Stricter Safety Regulations
Hyundai's 'Straight Eyebrow' Lamp, Design and Regulation Harmony
Some US Imported Car Models Also Adjust Design According to US Safety Regulations

The front design of Hyundai Motor Company's 1-ton truck Porter 2024 model will undergo a revolutionary change. Due to strengthened safety regulations, the cab-over style with the engine room located under the driver's seat will be abandoned, and it will switch to a bonnet style with the engine room in front.

According to a comprehensive report from our coverage on the 11th, Hyundai is currently in the final stages of developing the full-change 2024 Porter II model. Production of the currently sold 2023 Porter II diesel model is scheduled to stop after November this year.

Hyundai Motor Company 2023 Porter II Electric [Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

The reason the new Porter II is changing its face is due to strengthened safety regulations. Last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to strengthen safety crash tests for small cargo vehicles weighing 3.5 tons or less. Until now, small cargo vehicles were exempt from various crash tests stipulated in safety standards. However, the safety regulations were changed following concerns that the fatality and serious injury rates in small cargo vehicle accidents are about twice as high as those for passenger cars.

Since the first generation model was launched in 1977, Porter has maintained the cab-over style up to the current fourth generation model. The cab-over method places the engine under the driver's seat. While this reduces engine room space and allows for increased cargo capacity, safety issues have been consistently raised. Because there is no bonnet in front of the driver's seat to absorb impact, the driver is at a higher risk of serious injury in an accident.

However, the government decided to apply the changed safety regulations gradually and mandated compliance with strengthened human injury standards starting in 2024. This took into account the situation of completed vehicle manufacturers who had already certified and produced vehicles to be released this year last year. In the domestic 1-ton truck market, Chinese BYD, a competitor of Hyundai and Kia, is also developing a new electric truck that meets the new safety regulations.

Industry insiders predict that the front design of the new Porter II will change to resemble Hyundai's large leisure vehicle (RV) Staria. Additionally, due to the phrase in the strengthened safety regulations that "the principle of cargo truck loading methods shall be defined as closed type," there is speculation that the basic Porter II model may be released as a closed type.

Hyundai Motor's large RV Staria
Photo by Hyundai Motor

Hyundai's 'Straight Eyebrow' Design, a Result of Car Designers' Deliberation

Automobile designers carefully review vehicle safety regulations before starting their work. While design is a creative field, the design applied to automobiles is different in nature. Since it is directly related to user safety, there are many safety regulations that must be considered.

Recently, Hyundai's signature 'Straight Eyebrow (Seamless Horizon Lamp)' design has also been the result of designers' careful consideration. This lamp achieves an uninterrupted design stretching 1.8 meters while meeting safety standards. Hyundai developed new technology that integrates daytime running lights (DRL) and position lamps into one long lamp.

According to regulations, the brightness of daytime running lights must be at least 100 times brighter than that of position lamps. This is because the roles of daytime running lights, which are always on during daytime driving, and position lamps, which signal the vehicle's presence as darkness begins, are distinctly different. Therefore, Hyundai had to install different LEDs in each section of the single long lamp.

Brighter LEDs were installed at both ends, and dimmer LEDs were placed in the center. However, the color temperature had to be unified so that the lamp appears as one continuous light when viewed from a distance. Mi-seon Gong, a Hyundai researcher involved in lamp development, said, "We considered many methods and went through numerous trials and errors to secure the legally required light intensity while creating uniform light."

Seamless Horizon Lamp Installed on the New Grandeur
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

Why Are the Turn Signals on This Car Red?

While driving on the road, you may notice cars with unfamiliar designs, such as vehicles equipped with red turn signals. You might think this violates domestic safety regulations, but in fact, it does not.

South Korea's Motor Vehicle Management Act stipulates that turn signal colors must be yellow or amber. However, when importing vehicles made in North America, such as Ford, GM, and Tesla, red turn signals are allowed. According to the Korea-US FTA regulations, vehicles that meet safety standards in the United States are considered to comply with Korean road traffic laws as well. Conversely, vehicles manufactured in Korea for export to the US must comply with US safety standards. This clause was requested by the US during the Korea-US FTA negotiations, citing automobiles as a major item of trade deficit.

Conversely, export models sometimes have different designs to meet overseas regulations. Last year, Korea GM made different bumper specifications for the domestic and export versions of the discontinued compact car Spark. South Korea regulates compact cars to be 3600mm in length, 1600mm in width, and 2000mm in height. The government provides benefits such as tax reductions, insurance, and toll discounts based on these specifications. Therefore, GM adjusted the domestic Spark's specifications to meet Korean regulations, while slightly extending the bumper length for the US export version.

An industry insider said, "Governments worldwide are strengthening safety regulations, so meeting regulations in just one country does not compromise overall safety. However, designs may vary slightly depending on detailed regulations in each country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.