Is there something covering the front of the radiator

[rponfick]

I just got a 2025 CX-50 Turbo plus and in looking in the grill, I cannot see the radiator/condenser fins. It appears there is some type of flaps that cover the radiator front. Are these operatable louvers that open as needed for cooling? I am confused.
Ralph

 

[N7turbo]

Yes, they are controlled by a motor that opens/closes them depending on, as far as I know, vehicle speed.

 

[leeharvey418]

You only need 100% of your radiator’s heat rejection capacity a very tiny fraction of the time. The rest of the time, the air flow that goes through the radiator is a major contributor to any vehicle’s coefficient of drag. The better job an OEM can do of metering the airflow through the radiator, the better your fuel economy will be while still having a functioning cooling system.

 

[rponfick]

So, is this new, or been around for awhile in autos? I know I have seen louvers on the radiators of 18 wheelers, but never knew that had been incorporated into passenger cars.
I hope it is fool proof, and not something else to possibly fail with catastrophic results.
Thanks, Ralph

 

[N7turbo]

It's a platform feature. The CX-5 does not have them, at least not in the U.S.

Brief explainer:

In action:

 

[rponfick]

Thanks, that is really "cool".