GB2440441A

GB2440441A - Vehicle underspoiler

Info

Publication number: GB2440441A
Application number: GB0714252A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ryoichi Adachi; Chiaki Ikeda; Shun Shibuya
Original assignee: Honda Access Corp
Current assignee: Honda Access Corp
Priority date: 2006-07-21
Filing date: 2007-07-20
Publication date: 2008-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2027-07-20
Also published as: GB2440441B; JP2008024152A; JP4189859B2; GB0714252D0

Abstract

A vehicle underspoiler capable of remarkably mitigating an impact imparted on a colliding object 40 as compared to the existing underspoilers. When a colliding object 40 has collided against an add-on bumper 5 to externally apply an impact onto the add-on bumper 5, a deforming portion 19 is deformed so as to release the fixing of the add-on bumper 5 by the clips 35. As a result, application of the external impact is followed by loosening of the add-on bumper 5, thus allowing the external impact to be absorbed by the add-on bumper 5. According to the front underspoiler 1, even if the colliding object 40 collides against the add-on bumper 5, the impact imparted on the colliding object 40 from the add-on bumper 5 can be reduced, thus permitting the impact on the colliding object 40 to be markedly mitigated as compared to the existing add-on bumpers.

Description

S

VEHICLE UNDERSPOILER

The present invention relates to a vehicle underspoiler, and more particularly to an underspoiler that is suitable for use as, e.g., a front underspoiler or a rear underspoiler which are fitted to a front and rear of an automobile.

In recent years, a front underspoiler and a rear underspoiler each having a twomember structure is well known, said two-member structure being constituted by providing an add-on bumper separately on a base bumper mounted on front and rear sides of an automobile body (see, e.g., Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2004-196004).

The front underspoiler and the rear underspoiler which have the two-member structure can be improved in rigidity, whereas when colliding against an object, these underspoilers have had the potential to significantly damage the colliding object.

Reflecting such a situation, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle underspoiler capable of mitigating an impact imparted on a colliding object markedly as compared to the existing underspoilers.

Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a vehicle underspoiler comprising a base bumper mounted on the vehicle, an add-on part fitted to a fitting surface of the base bumper, and one or more clips for fixing the addon part to the fitting surface of the base bumper, wherein the fitting surface of the base bumper is provided with a stepped portion for receiving and stopping an end of the add-on part on which an impact is to be imparted externally, while the add-on part is provided with a deforming portion that is to be deformed by a load caused by receiving and stopping the end of said add on part through the stepped portion to thereby release the fixing of the add-on part by the clips.

According to the present invention, when the colliding object has collided to impart the external impact on the add-on part, the deforming portion is deformed to allow the add-on part to be released from being fixed by the clips. Thus, the external impact causes the add-on part to be loosened to thereby make it possible to absorb the impact. As a result, the impact imparted on the colliding object from the add-on part can be reduced, thus permitting the external impact on the colliding object to be mitigated much more significantly as compared to the existing add-on parts.

The stepped portion is preferably provided at a bottom side of the vehicle opposed to the ground.

Further, according to this preferred arrangement of the present invention, when the impact has been imparted externally on the add-on part, the deforming portion is deformed at the vehicle bottom side to release the add-on part from being ftxed by the clips. Thus, the external impact is followed by loosening of the add-on part at the bottom side to make it possible to absorb the external impact by the add-on part.

The stepped portion is preferably formed to have a height greater than thickness of an end of said deforming portion.

Furthermore, according to this preferred arrangement of the present invention, since the stepped portion can ensure the receiving and stopping of the load acting on the deformjng portion, the end is prevented from thsengaging from the stepped portion, thus permitting the deforming portion to be bent without fail. Besides, when a vehicle is traveling, an air flow from a front of the vehicle hits the stepped portion so as to be prevented from flowing rearward, thus permitting the air flow to be rectified at the vehicle bottom side.

A distal end of the add-on part is preferably located at one side opposite to an other side toward which the deforming portion is deformed by the load, with reference to a position of an insertion hole of the clip.

Moreover, according to this preferred arrangement of the present invention, with reference to the position of the insertion hole of the clip, the distal end of the add-on part is located at one side opposite to an other side toward which the deforming portion is deformed by the load. As a result, the deforming portion is allowed to be easily bent, thus easily releasing the add-on part from being fixed by the clips.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure of an automobile fitted with a front underspoiler according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of the front underspoiler according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a front structure of the front 2.

underspoiler according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a lateral cross-sectional structure of the front underspoiler according to one embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a situation where a colliding object is about to collide against an add-on bumper body.

In FIG. 1, a front underspoiler 1 acting as a vehicle underspoiler is formed so as to extend in a vehicular width direction X of an automobile 2 and is mounted along the front and bottom side of a vehicle 3. In addition, the vehicle 3 is provided with an impact- absorbing bumper (not shown) made from an impact-absorbing raw material such as urethane or the like in the vicinity of the front underspoiler 1 on the front of the vehicle.

The front underspoiler 1 comprises a base bumper 4 fitted directly to the front and bottom side of the vehicle by fastening means such as bolts and nuts or the like (not shown) and an add-on bumper 5 that is fitted to the base bumper 4 and acts as an add-on part. These base bumper 4 and add-on bumper 5 protect a front portion of the vehicle 3 and function to change an air flow to thereby give rise to a down force to the vehicle 3. Incidentally, due to a two-member structure constituted by the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper 5, various types of irregularities formed on a front end, bottom side, etc. of the base bumper 5 to improve rigidity of the base bumper 5 of the front underspoiler 1 can be prevented from being exposed to the exterior. Thus, a degree of freedom in designing an external appearance of the front underspoiler can be ensured while preserving a given rigidity.

In this embodiment, the base bumper 4 is provided with a bumper lower portion 7 arranged along the lowermost end of the front of the vehicle and a bumper upper portion 8 which extends in the vehicle width direction X in parallel with the bumper lower portion 7 in an upper portion (e.g., in a position where a number plate is provided on the front of the vehicle) above the bumper lower portion 7 and whose both ends are molded integrally with the bumper lower portion 7. Further, a laterally long opening 9 extending in the vehicle width direction X is formed between the bumper lower portion 7 and the bumper upper portion 8. A meshed grill 10 is mounted on the opening 9 to take in air flowing from the front of the vehicle via meshes of the grill 10 into an inside of an engine room while the vehicle is traveling.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bumper lower portion 7 is provided with a 3, -recess 12 whose front portion is cut out in a rectangular form in conformity to a width size of the opening 9. The add-on bumper 5 is mounted on the recess 12. The add-on bumper 5 comprises an add-on bumper body 13 mounted on the recess 12 of the bumper lower portion 7 and a support 14 that is molded integrally with the add-on bumper body 13 and supports the bumper upper portion 8.

The support 14 has a thick and tabular support-pillar structure and its leading end is fixed to the bumper upper portion 8. In a preferred form of the invention, the support 14 may be located at a given position of the bumper upper portion 8 as a result of mounting the add-on bumper body 13 to a fitting surface 15 of the recess 12. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, a through hole (not shown) formed in the leading end of the support 14 and a through hole (not shown) formed in an underside of the bumper upper portion 8 are allowed to align with each other and then a clip 16 is pressed into these through holes to mount the support 14, so that the support 14 can be fixed to the bumper upper portion 8.

As shown in FIG. 4 showing a vertical cross-section taken on a A-A' line in FIG. 3, the add-on bumper body 13 is formed into a shape whose vertical cross-section is nearly U-shaped, comprising the upper surface portion 18 having a given thickness and the deforming portion 19 arranged opposite to a lower side of the upper surface portion 18 and also having a given thickness. A distal end 20 serving as a coupling portion between the upper surface portion 18 and the deforming portion 19 overhangs toward the front and outside of the vehicle body.

Incidentally, when the add-on bumper body 13 is mounted on the recess 12 as shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface portion 18 of the add-on bumper body 13 is located at nearly the same height as that of an upper surface portion 21 of the base bumper in the bumper lower portion 7. Besides, the upper surface portion 18 of the add-on bumper body 13 and the upper surface portion 21 of the base bumper are formed to have nearly equal sloping forms and thus irregularities between the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper body 13 are reduced, so that air resistance caused while the vehicle is traveling can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 4, the add-on bumper body 13 comprises a lower end 25 extending in the vehicle width direction X in the deforming portion 19, said lower end 25 being formed in such a shape as to fit to a portion between 4. -one end and the other end of the recess 12 extending in the vehicle width direction X so that the lower end 25 can be fixed to the stepped portion 26 on the fitting surface 15 formed in the recess 12.

In a preferable from of the invention, the stepped portion 26 first extends from a proximal end 24 toward the front side of the vehicle, and then the stepped portion 26 bends upwardly at 90 degrees toward the vehicle body (i.e. in the direction departing away from the ground (not shown) in a vehicle vertical direction Y) to be arranged nearly perpendicularly to the ground, thus forming an abutting surface 27 extending in a zonal manner in the vehicle width direction X with a given height. The abutting surface 27 then bends at 90 degrees toward the front of the vehicle and extends toward the front by a given length, thus forming a step end portion 28.

As is apparent from the foregoing, the stepped portion 26 is provided with the abutting portion 27 extending between the proximal end 24 and the step end portion 28 in the vehicle vertical direction Y to allow the step end portion 28, located on the front side of the vehicle, to be positioned a greater distance from the ground than the proximal end 24, so that air flow from the front of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling is allowed to hit the abutting portion 27 and thus air flowing backward is constrained, thereby rectifying the air flow at the bottom side of the vehicle.

According to the present embodiment, a height Hi of the stepped portion 26 (i.e, a height of the abutting portion 27) is formed greater than the thickness H2 of the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13. Hence, when the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 is located in the stepped portion 26, the lower end 25 can abut against the abutting portion 27 without fail.

The step end portion 28 of the stepped portion 26 is formed in a plate-like and zonal shape to extend in the vehicle width direction X, protruding toward the outside of the vehicle by a given length, such that the whole lower surface of the step end portion 28 can come into close contact with a rear surface 19a of the deforming portion 19 of the add-on bumper body 13. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, when the deforming portion 19 is pressed toward the vehicle 3 by external force from the distal end 20 of the add-on bumper body 13, the step end portion 28 stops the deforming portion 19 to prevent the deforming portion 19 from bending toward the upper side of the vehicle but allow the deforming portion 19 to bend toward the bottom side of 54 -the vehicle. Accordingly, when an external force whose magnitude is greater than a predetermined amount is applied from the distal end 20 to press the deforming portion 19 toward the vehicle 3, the deforming portion 19 is allowed to bend so as to get away from the step end portion 28, thus enabling the forming of a raised portion 30 protruding outward.

In addition to the structure described above, as shown in FIG. 4, clip insertion holes 31 are formed through the deforming portion 19 of the add-on bumper body 13 at predetermined intervals, while through holes 32 are formed in the step end portion 28 in positions corresponding to these clip insertion holes 31. Thus, the add-on bumper body 13 is mounted on the vehicle body in such a way that the rear surface 19a of the deforming portion 19 is allowed to abut against a lower surface of the step end portion 28 to attach the deforming portion 19 firmly to the step end portion 28, thus overlapping the step end portion 28 with the deforming portion 19.

Thereafter, the lower end 25 is positioned relative to the stepped portion 26, thus permitting the clip insertion holes 31 to align with the through holes 32.

Then, the add-on bumper body 13 is fitted by pressing the clips 35 into the through-holes 32 via the clip insertion holes 31 from the front face side of the deforming portion 19, thus permitting the deforming portion 19 to be held between the ciiS 35 and the step end portion 28.

According to the present embodiment, the add-on bumper body 13 is formed so that the distal end 20 is located on an upper side than a position of the clip insertion hole 31, and the add-on bumper body 13 slopes gradually downward from the distal end 20 to the lower end 25 via the deforming portion 19. Accordingly, the deforming portion 19 is designed so that when an external impact is applied to the distal end 20, force is allowed to act easily downward and outward of the vehicle body in the deforming portion 19. Thus, the raised portion 30 protruding outside of the vehicle toward the bottom side can be easily formed when the deforming portion 19 is deformed.

The clip 35 is made from hard resin and includes a thick-discshaped widened portion 36, a shaft portion 37 provided at the center of the widened portion 36 and extending perpendicularly therefrom, and an elastically expandable portion 38 having elasticity in a periphery of the shaft portion 37.

Consequently, by pressing the shaft portion 37 into the clip insertion hole 31 and the through hole 32 from the outside of the vehicle body, the elastically expandable portion 38 is allowed to pass through the clip insertion hole 31 6.

and the through hole 32, with the result that the widened portion 36 is attached closely to the deforming portion 19 in a periphery of the clip insertion hole 31 to thereby properly position the add-on bumper body 13. At this moment, in the elastically expandable portion 38, an elastic restoring force is working radially from the shaft portion 37 to press each of inner circumferential surfaces of the clip insertion hole 31 and through hole 3 to thereby lock a protruded portion thereof onto a rear face of the base bumper 4 in the periphery of the through hole 32 by the elastic restoring force, thus allowing the add-on bumper body 13 to be fixed to the base bumper 4.

In addition to the foregoing structures, the clip 35 is structured to have such mechanical strength that the shaft portion 37 and the elastically expandable portion 38 may be broken by a load greater than a predetermined amount if such greater load is generated when the deforming portion 19 of the add-on bumper body 13 bends. Further, according to the clip 35 of the invention, the elastic restoring force of the elastically expandable portion 38 and a height of the protruded portion are determined so that the shaft portion 37 and the elastically expandable portion 38 can disengage and come off from the clip insertion hole 31 and through hole 32 when a load greater than a predetermined amount of load developed by the bending of the deforming portion 19 acts toward the bottom side of the vehicle body.

According to the front underspoiler 1 of the foregoing structure, the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 is held in position by abutting against the stepped portion 26 of the base bumper 4, and thus it is possible to securely receive and stop the lower end 25 through the stepped portion 26, even if the impact from the colliding object 40 is transmitted from the distal end 20 to the lower end 25 so as to push the add-on bumper body 13 toward the rear side of the vehicle when the colliding object 40 collides against the add-on bumper body 13.

As is apparent from the foregoing, since the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 is received and stopped by the stepped portion 26 in the front underspoiler 1, the deforming portion 19 bends in a manner getting away from an outer surface of the step end portion 28 of the base bumper 4 when a further impact is applied onto the distal end 20, thus forming the raised portion 30 protruding to the bottom side of the vehicle body in the deforming portion 19.

In the front underspoiler 1 thus structured, the distal end 20 of the add-on bumper body 13 is arranged in an upper portion in the vehicle body above a ffxed position of the clip 35, while the deforming portion 19 between the distal end 20 and the lower end 25 is allowed to be tilted downward and toward the vehicle body side. Thus, external force transmitted from the distal end 20 comes to work more toward the bottom side of the vehicle body, so that the raised portion 30 protruding to the bottom side of the vehicle body can be easily formed in the deforming portion 19.

Further, according to the front underspoiler 1 of the foregoing structure, the widened portion 36 of the clip 35 is pushed to the bottom side of the vehicle by the raised portion 30 protruding to the bottom side of the vehicle in the deforming portion 19. Thus, the shaft portion 37 of the clip 35 and the elastically expandable portion 38 are subjected to a load so that they are broken or disengaged. As a result, the clip 35 disengages from the add-on bumper body 13 in the front underspoiler 1, to thereby allow the clip 35 to come off from the add-on bumper body 13, allowing the add-on bumper body 13 to get loosened.

Thus, in accordance with the front underspoiler 1 of the foregoing structure, the impact imparted on the distal end 20 of the add-on bumper body 13 is followed by the loosening of the add-on bumper body 13 so that the impact imparted onto the distal end 20 beëomes absorbable in the add-on bumper body 13, so that even if the colliding object 40 collides against the add-on bumper body 13, the impact imparted by the add-on bumper body 13 onto the colliding object 40 can be reduced. In the meantime, the vehicle 3 is provided on the front of the vehicle with an impact-absorbing bumper (not shown) made from an impact-absorbing material such as urethane or the like. Thus, the impact transmitted from the add-on bumper body 13 can be received and absorbed by the impact-absorbing bumper.

According to the present embodiment, due to the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper 5 being fixed by using the clips 35 formed from resin in the front underspoiler 1, the deformation of the deforming portion 19, resulting from the impact applied onto the distal end 20, can cause the clips to be broken or disengaged with comparative ease. Thus, when the colliding object 40 collides against the distal end 20, the clips 35 can be disengaged certainly from the add-on bumper body 13, allowing the addon bumper body 13 to get loosened.

Further, due to the stepped portion 26 being provided at the bottom side of the vehicle 3 opposite to the ground in the front underspoiler 1, the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 only sags slightly downward by its own weight, even if the distal end 20 of the add-on bumper body 13 collides against the colliding object 40 so that the clip 35 comes off from the add-on bumper body 13 and the add-on bumper body 13 get loosened, thereby enabling the add-on bumper body 13 to be prevented from protruding from the vehicle width direction X. Furthermore, due to the height Hi of the stepped portion 26 being greater than the thickness H2 of the end of the deforming portion 19 in thickness, the load acting on the deforming portion 19 can be received and stopped certainly by the stepped portion 26 while the vehicle is traveling, and besides air flow from the front of the vehicle hits the stepped portion 26 to thereby enable the airflow to be prevented from flowing backward.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the deforming portion 19 is deformed so as to release the fixing of the add- on bumper 5 by the clip 35 when the colliding object 40 collides against the add-on bumper 5 so that the impact is applied externally thereto, whereby the application of external impact is followed by loosening of the add-on bumper 5, thus allowing the external force to be absorbed by the add-on bumper 5. Accordingly, accorthng to the front underspoiler 1, the impact imparted onto the colliding object 40 from the add-on bumper 5 can be reduced even if the colliding object 40 collides against the add-on bumper 5, thus allowing the impact imparted onto the colliding object 40 to be markedly mitigated as compared to the existing add-on spoiler.

Further, since the foregoing structure in accordance with the present embodiment ensures the load acting on the deforming portion 19 to be received and stopped reliably, the lower end 25 is prevented from disengaging from the stepped portion 26 when the impact is applied externally on the add-on bumper 5, and thus the deforming portion 19 can be bent reliably. Besides, the air flow from the front of the vehicle hits the stepped portion 26 while the vehicle is traveling, and thus, an airflow flowing backward can be prevented by the stepped portion 26, thus allowing the air flow to be rectified at the bottom side of the vehicle.

In the meantime, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, but various modifications are possible within the gist of the scope of the invention. For example, the present invention may be applied to a rear underspoiler that is formed so as to extend in the vehicle width threction X of the vehicle 2 and is mounted along a rear bottom side of the vehicle. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to various other types of add-on parts such as ornamental parts or the like in place of the add-on bumper 5.

Although the plurality of clips 35 for fixing the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper 5 are all made from hard resin in the foregoing embothment, the present invention should not be limited thereto. For example, some of the clips 35 arbitrarily chosen may be formed from a metallic material. In that case, using the metallic clips with strong mechanical strength, in combination of bolt and nut, if necessary, will make the metallic clips less likely to be broken or disengaged, thereby enhancing coupling strength between the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper 5, enabling a desired rigidity to be obtained in the front underspoiler 1.

Although the stepped portion 26 is provided so as to extend along the vehicle width direction X in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention should not be limited to that configuration, but the stepped portion may be provided so as to extend in various other directions and in various other places. such as at front lateral sides of a vehicle, at front corners of a vehicle and so on.

Moreover, whilst the stepped portion 26 is formed with the zonal abutting surface 27 arranged nearly perpendicularly to the ground with the step end portion 28 being more distant away from the ground than the proximal end 24 in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention, however, should not be limited to that configuration. Alternatively, any other suitable configuration of the stepped portion may be employed as long as the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 can be reliably stopped by that configuration. For example, the stepped portion may bend from the proximal end 24 toward the ground at 90 degrees so that the stepped end portion may be closer to the ground than is the proximal end 24 to form the zonal abutting surface 27 arranged nearly perpendicularly to the ground.

In the meantime, in the case that the stepped portion allows its step end portion 28 to get closer to the ground than its proximal end 24, a front surface of the deforming portion 19 of the add-on bumper body 13 is allowed to abut closely to a rear surface of the step end portion 28, and the add-on bumper body 13 is fixed to the base bumper 4 from the step end portion 28 side (i.e., from the vehicle body side) by the clip 35. Thus, when the deforming portion 19 is pressed toward the vehicle body by an external force from the distal end 20 of the add-on bumper body 13, the step end portion 28 stops the deforming portion 19 to prevent the deforming portion 19 from benthng toward the bottom side of the vehicle, so that the deforming portion 19 is allowed to bend toward the vehicle body, thus permitting the raised portion protruding toward the vehicle body to be formed.

Thus, according to the front underspoiler 1, the widened portion 36 of the clip 35 is pushed upward of the vehicle by the raised portion protruding toward the vehicle in the deforming portion 19 to thereby break or disengage the shaft 37 of the clip 35 and the elastically expandable portion 38, thus releasing the clip 35 from a fixed condition. As a result, according to the front underspoiler 1, the clip 35 disengages from the addon bumper body 13, thus permitting the add-on bumper body 13 to get loose.

Further, whilst the clip 35 is provided with the elastically expandable portion 38 provided in a periphery of the shaft 37 in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention, however, should not be limited to that configuration, but other different types of clips such as a push rivet or a brush clip may be used that may comprise, e.g.. an expanding pin that cars be inserted into a shaft of a clip body and an expandable shaft whose diameter expands by pressing the expanding pin strongly into the clip body. In essence, any other types of clips may be employed as long as the clip makes such structure possible that the clip is fitted to the base bumper 4 through the add-on bumper 5 to fix both the base bumper 4 and the add-on bumper 5, and that fitting means such as the shaft 37 of the clip 35 or the like is broken or disengaged due to the deformation of the deforming portion 19 to thereby allow the clip 35 to be released from a fixed condition.

Furthermore, whilst the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 is allowed to abut against the stepped portion 26 of the base bumper 4 to be fixed thereto in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention, however, should not be limited to that configuration. For example, the lower end 25 of the add-on bumper body 13 may, at first, be fixed to the stepped portion 26 of the base bumper 4 without abutting thereto with a space provided between the lower end 25 and the abutting surface 27, and then the lower end 25 may be stopped by the stepped portion 26 due to the lower end 25 being pushed toward the rear side of a vehicle by the impact from the colliding object 40 I I. -transmitted from the distal end 20 to the lower end 25 when the colliding object 40 has collided against the add-on bumper body 13.

I

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A vehicle underspoiler comprising: a base bumper mounted on the vehicle, an add-on part fitted to a fitting surface of the base bumper, and one or more clips for fixing the add-on part to the fitting surface of the base bumper, wherein the fitting surface of the base bumper is provided with a stepped portion for receiving and stopping an end of the add-on part and the add-on part is provided with a deforming portion, wherein, when the add-on part receives an externally imparted impact, the deforming portion is deformed by a load caused by stopping of the end of said add on part by the stepped portion, thereby releasing the fixing of the add-on part to the fitting surface by the clips.

2. A vehicle underspoiler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stepped portion is provided at a bottom side of the vehicle facing to the ground.

3. A vehicle underspoiler as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stepped portion is formed to have a height greater than a thickness of the end of said deforming portion.

4. A vehicle underspoiler as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a distal end of the add-on part is located at one side opposite to an other side toward which the deforming portion is deformed by the load, with reference to a position of an insertion hole of the clip.

5. A vehicle underspoiler as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each clip is located in an insertion hole and wherein, when the deforming portion is deformed, the deforming portion applies a force to the or each clip in the axial direction of the insertion hole.

6. A vehicle underspoiler substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 13 -