{"id":40167,"date":"2026-08-24T23:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/40167\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T23:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:09:10","slug":"ram-has-the-weirdest-coolest-pickup-topper-idea-weve-ever-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/40167\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram Has The Weirdest, Coolest Pickup Topper Idea We’ve Ever Seen"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of pickup truck bed covers, there isn’t much in the way of new innovation. The last big one might have been the three-piece hard plastic cover from the Chevrolet Avalanche, but that could all be about to change. CarBuzz has found a patent<\/a> from Stellantis that would make a bed “cover” that could fold out of the way on demand. But this is no ordinary cover.<\/p>\n

It would take up almost no space when stored, keep your cargo safe from theft and weather, and provide similar storage to using a full-on pickup truck cap.<\/p>\n

The Greatest Innovation In Truck Beds Since The Midgate<\/p>\n

\"Ram
\n Truck bed accordion topperStellantis<\/p>\n

We’d bet nearly every pickup truck owner has tried one type of bed cover<\/a> or another over the years. From one-piece solid covers to roll-up fabric to multi-segment folding covers, there are plenty of options. But there isn’t one option that can fold up small and give you the security of solid panels at the same time. There certainly isn’t one that can turn into a topper.<\/p>\n

The Stellantis invention shows a bed-sized solid panel with a series of thin cuts. The cuts go into the material, but not all the way through. It lets the panel fold along each cut line, so that it can be pushed flat like an accordion.<\/p>\n

Two lines of sawtooth cuts would let the panel fold twice in another dimension. The flat panel would be able to fold into a U, but with three flat sides instead of a curved one.<\/p>\n

Will Buyers Accept An Accordion-Shaped Cap?<\/p>\n

\"Ram
\n Truck bed accordion topperStellantis<\/p>\n

In the patent drawings, Stellantis shows it on the back of a Ram pickup with a sport bar. The first image shows the cover completely folded, accordion-style, with the sport bar at the front of the bed.<\/p>\n

Then, the entire sport bar can be pulled to the rear (tailgate end) of the bed. It brings the folding cover with it, and that covers the entire bed with a hard-surface, lockable cover. Think of it as an instant truck-topper<\/a>, and you’ve got the idea.<\/p>\n

The patent suggests it would be metal to keep water and crooks out. It could be made from other materials for weight and cost concerns, and it could be painted to match or contrast with the truck.<\/p>\n

The patent images show the invention on a pickup, but it would also work for larger commercial vehicles like tipper-bed trucks or flat beds. The cover could allow open storage when the weather allows, or weatherproof and secure storage as needed, taking minimal time to switch between configurations.<\/p>\n

CarBuzz Insight \u2013 Why This Matters:<\/p>\n

\"2021
\n 2021 Ram Built To Serve EditionRam<\/p>\n

We’re used to pickup truck innovation coming from America<\/a>, but you have to hand this one to the French engineers. Similar sliding accordion covers have been found on large trucks in Europe for years, but those panels are normally only the walls on a large trailer that has a fixed frame over the top.<\/p>\n

A pickup with its sport bar slid all the way to the back is going to look strange. Especially if you planned to put lights on it. But on the days when you want to make sure your stuff isn’t wet or stolen, this might be the perfect solution.<\/p>\n

Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.<\/p>\n

Source: INPI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the world of pickup truck bed covers, there isn’t much in the way of new innovation. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[103],"class_list":["post-40167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-stellantis","tag-stellantis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}