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<\/p>\n\n A new patent from Stellantis depicts a split, fold-down tailgate that could work for sedans and hatchbacks <\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/author\/bradcarscoops-com\/
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by Brad Anderson<\/a><\/p>\n 47 minutes ago<\/p>\n A French patent describes a split tailgate that can fold flat against a car\u2019s roof.<\/p>\n Locking the folding upper part of the tailgate in place would be a bar and loop on the roof.<\/p>\n By redesigning a car\u2019s tailgate, Stellantis could significantly boost cargo volumes.<\/p>\n A newly filed patent from Stellantis<\/a> could make traditional hatchbacks and sedans a lot more practical if it ever reaches a production car. Filed recently in France, it describes a split tailgate that would let ordinary cars haul long loads the way a pickup truck does.<\/p>\n The idea behind the patent<\/a> is quite simple, although engineering it and making it work on a mass-market production vehicle would no doubt be challenging, though certainly achievable. The first, and simplest, aspect of the split tailgate described in the patent would be a lower section which folds down flat, much like the tailgate of an ordinary pickup truck.<\/p>\n Read: Peugeot\u2019s Pledge To Drop Gas By 2030 No Longer Holds, Confirms Seven New Models<\/a><\/p>\n With a flat tailgate like this, you could, in theory, load long items like pieces of wood that ordinarily wouldn\u2019t fit into a hatchback or a sedan. The second part of the split tailgate is where things get a little more complicated, as CarBuzz<\/a> reports. <\/p>\n
The upper section of the tailgate opens up far more than a typical one. In fact, it opens up so high that it flips around and can then lay flat against the roof. It\u2019s unclear what kind of fancy hinges or struts would be needed to make this happen, but swinging the tailgate completely open like this would obviously help to maximize cargo carrying capacity.<\/p>\n The patent<\/a> goes on to show that the hatch could be secured in position against the roof with a bar and a loop attached to the roof. Although this would secure the hatch in place, it\u2019d obviously impact aerodynamics, so such a setup may not make much sense in an EV where aerodynamic efficiency is of the utmost importance.<\/p>\n Will Stellantis<\/a> actually push forward and set about developing a split tailgate like this? It\u2019s hard to say, but just as there\u2019s a chance we would see a sedan or hatchback with a split tailgate like this in the future, there\u2019s also a good chance this design will never make its way beyond the patent stage.<\/p>\n
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