People like cars with fierce looks

Not only do you think that the Toyota Prius is too gentle for your taste. People often see faces and characteristics in a car. And new research shows that they like outstanding, masculine and slightly "angry" cars.

This finding is based on the tendency of people to often see human faces or characteristics on everything from cars to clouds. This phenomenon is called pareidolia. But now researchers hope to better understand what happens in the brain when people see faces in objects, as opposed to human faces; Since then also helps designers create more attractive cars.

Truls Thorstensen, head of the EFS Advisory Board in Vienna, said: 'Investing in another truck means we're talking billions of dollars. If the design is not correct, we will be in trouble '.

However, the design of the appearance of a car cannot prove it to be an exact science. Design and design professionals offer advice, even CEOs consider the hobby. But Thorstensen wants to find a more useful tool that helps automakers evaluate different models.

Thorstensen has recruited a team of his own experts including Sonja Windhager - anthropologist of the University of Vienna.They asked 20 men and 20 women to evaluate 38 passenger cars marketed from 2004 to 2006.

Participants judge vehicles based on a system called geometric morphology (geometric morphometrics or GM). The system allows men and women to evaluate certain characteristics on a reference scale (such as 'juvenile' or 'finished school' ). Characteristics represent maturity, gender, attitude, emotion and personality - all the characteristics that participants deduce from the face of the human being at first sight.

After assessing the characteristics of the vehicle, the participant will then have to answer the question: have they just seen the face of the person, or of some animal, or have they not seen any mirror on the car car. They have to show facial features like eyes, nose and mouth when they see the face.

Finally, participants must answer whether they like the car or not. Research on limiting the type of vehicle chosen as a passenger vehicle by a large number of vehicles can change the results.

Participants like the cars with the highest scale of 'power' characteristics. But the 'power' car like the BMW 5 series usually has a lower and bigger design, with more angled headlights with larger air intake ducts.

Most participants agree that each vehicle has certain characteristics, such as arrogance, fear or comfort. Some characteristics like aversion, outwardness and sadness are not popular.

The model of the Toyota Prius is used in the study of 'appearance' of cars. The Prius has a low rank on the 'power' ladder . (Photo: Toyota / Truls Thorstensen)

These features contributed to the excitement of a few years ago, when a leading designer with a leading automobile factory wanted to buy public research. But Thortensen and Windhager are currently looking for another study to supplement the test of eye and brain activity.

Windharger notes: 'The questionnaire is limited in the characteristics you can deduce from that. You will have to ask people, and everyone must reflect on the question. We want to reach a higher subconscious level. '

They also want to carry out research with participation of Ethiopians, who are not knowledgeable about modern models, and scientists who want to expand their research to other countries. Thorstensen points out that some automobile manufacturers like Toyota have created different models in different countries and cultures.

Thorstensen said: 'I don't think there is anything that will change the automobile industry or lose designers'. He also added that research is just the next step towards a more standardized design tool.