Automobile development means reconciling conflicting aims, and this is especially true where bodyshell engineering is concerned. In addition to high operating strength and a long service life, the aim is to meet a large number of sometimes contradictory requirements at the same time. On the one hand the bodyshell must form a robust backbone for the running gear, ensure precise handling and prevent uncomfortable vibrations, and on the other it should be light in weight and streamlined in the interests of a favourable fuel consumption. It must also satisfy the most stringent crash test standards, comply with the regulations pertaining to pedestrian protection and be easy to repair.

The bodyshell of the new C-Class is the perfect "all-rounder" in these respects...


http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jan07/1...lass_Body.html

Thanks to emercedesbenz.com

From what i've heard, the bodyshell is the most important component in the car. It is the core which determines if a car successfully engineered or a failure. I've heard that if a car's "bodyshell is well designed then everything else will work well around it".

When a new car is developed, the bodyshell is in a lot of cases, the only component that is entirely all new. Everything else, like the suspension and the engine, can be carried over. It's for this reason that engineeres who usually specialise in body engineering, usually become the development chiefs.

It's great to see that the new C class has a well engineered body. It should put it in good stead for being a safe, solid, refined and dynamic vehicle.

So they aim for five stars in the EuroNCAP crash-tests, right?