• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.137-145
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• 2011

This paper suggests possible rear body shape modifications of a passenger car for the improvement of aerodynamic performance, based on the CFD analysis results. YF SONATA, a passenger car of Hyundai Motors Company, plays a major role as the baseline car in this research. Representatively, three parts(trunk rear edge, side rear edge and rear undercover) are modified in a small range in order for the total outer shapes not to be changed enough so that the modified car is not considered different, compared with the baseline. Specifically, using computational fluid dynamics, aerodynamic drag reduction is accomplished maximally about 11% in this research. Finally, it is proved that although the range of changes of the rear body shapes of a passenger car is very strictly confined, by changing a small range of rear body shapes alone the enhancement of aerodynamic performance of a passenger car can be significantly accomplished.