What does an active grille shutter mean?

[McAllie]

An active grille shutter refers to an intake grille that can actively open or close, a feature equipped on many vehicles. The active grille shutter can reduce air resistance and accelerate engine warm-up. The ability to adjust the opening and closing of the grille means controlling intake and heat dissipation. Advantages of active grille shutters: 1. Shorter warm-up time. A vehicle can only reach its optimal state after the coolant reaches the appropriate temperature. The advantage of the active grille shutter becomes evident here. After starting the vehicle, the active grille shutter automatically adjusts its opening based on the engine temperature, achieving faster warm-up. 2. Lower drag coefficient. As the "window" of the engine compartment, the active grille shutter can also reduce the vehicle's drag coefficient when closed at the right time (for example, in the ATS-L, when the speed exceeds 60km/h, the onboard computer monitors the engine temperature and activates the active grille shutter when no additional air cooling is needed). This enhances vehicle stability and fuel economy.