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Due to new CO2 regulations and increasing demand for improved fuel economy, reducing aerodynamic drag has become more critical. Aerodynamic drag at the rear of the vehicle accounts for approximately 40% of overall aerodynamic drag due to low base pressure in the wake region. Many studies have focused on the wake region structure and shown that drag reduction modifications such as boattailing the rear end and sharpening the rear edges of the vehicle are effective. Despite optimization using such modifications, recent improvements in the aerodynamic drag coefficient (Cd) seem to have plateaued. One reason for this is the fact that vehicle design is oriented toward style and practicality. Hence, maintaining flexibility of design is crucial to the development of further drag reduction modifications. The purpose of this study was to devise a modification to reduce rear drag without imposing additional design restrictions on the upper body.

This paper describes the Electro-Multivision map navigation software mounted in the Toyota Soarer (1991). The following functions are required of on-board map navigation software: 1. Indication of the exact position of the vehicle to the driver 2. Determination of the optimum path to the destination and presentation of this route to the driver in the simplest way 3. Accommodation of a wide variety of destinations and settings for different users The following gives some examples of how these functions are achieved and outlines the associated technologies. 1. Path finding and associated display technology Path finding algorithm and technology for displaying the calculated on the map; construction of a data base on CD-ROM 2. Technology for determination of the current position utilizing map matching and the global positioning system(GPS) A method with improved reliability based on two current position outputs obtained using map matching and the GPS and the mutual compensation method 3.