Since the Brazilian government established the Inovar-Auto programme in 2012, the automotive industry has pursued tax savings by signing up for the programme. This new plan (from 2013 to 2017) has three main objectives: fortification of the industry and domestic market; increase incentives for investment and innovation; and enhance energy efficiency of vehicles produced in Brazil. For instance, manufacturers can gain up to 2% extra in IPI tax credits (aside 30% from Inovar-Auto achievements) by producing even more fuel-efficient models.
In relation to energy efficiency, the aerodynamic drag over a vehicle contributes to the share of energy requested to promote its movement in high speed. Thus, the drag forces are the major reasons of fuel consumption.
In this context, this paper presents a profile comparison of Hatch 2015 cars models produced in Brazil, in regards to drag and geometry features as roof end angle, rear slant angle and rear-end spoiler.
The 2015 best-seller model of each one of the ten 2014 best-seller manufactures in Brazil are analysed. These ten Hatch 2015 models are: (1st) Fiat Novo Palio, (2nd) Volkswagen Gol, (3rd) Chevrolet Onix, (4th) Hyundai HB20, (5th) Ford New Fiesta, (6th) Renault Sandero, (7th) Toyota Etios, (8th) Citroen C3, (9th) Nissan March, and (10th) Peugeot 208.
Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is to compare the bestseller car profiles produced and commercialised in Brazil, in a view of aerodynamic forces and geometry features.