A side impact beam for incorporation into the structure of a motor vehicle comprises a sheet metal profile with flaring end portions and two longitudinal beads extending along the sheet metal profile and wherein the end portions that are provided with cross beads that are stamped in an additional tooling step during manufacturing and after the longitudinal beads have been formed, and are arranged in transverse disposition to the longitudinal beads and wherein the longitudinal beads and the cross...

Energy absorbing bolsters for vehicle doors are usually formed of non-recyclable foam plastic and/or metal. A relatively simple bolster, which can be formed of recyclable plastic, includes a hollow body with a hole therein for equalizing interior and exterior pressure, and permitting limited flexing of the body, and reinforcing ribs on the outer and side walls of the body, so that the latter can be relatively thin walled.

The present invention involves a drive unit, specifically a drive unit for a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a cooling system with fan and a hydrodynamic retarder with a stator, rotor and housing. The retarder is located within a space bounded on one side by the front of the crankcase, on a second side by the fan shaft which runs parallel to the engine shaft, and on a third side by the rear edge of the fan wheel. Viewed from the front, the retarder is substantially located wi...

A door structure for a vehicle capable of increasing its capability of protecting a passenger on the vehicle without increasing the thickness of the pad. The door structure is provided with a door body including an inner panel and an outer panel, reinforcements secured to each of the panels and a pad attached to the inner panel to protect the passenger. In the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each of the reinforcements has its rear end positioned in front of the passenger. Because each pan...

The floor installation structure of a motor vehicle is constructed of two floor sheets connected with each other by a connection unit that has an upper and a lower heel sheet as well as a tunnel segment, which is connectable with a central tunnel.

A front pillar garnish adapted to cover a front pillar disposed between a front windshield and a side door in an automotive vehicle. The front pillar garnish comprises a main body section formed of plastic and generally channel-shaped. The main body section is to be fixedly connected to the front pillar and located at the side of a passenger compartment. A plurality of generally plate-shaped energy absorbing ribs are integrally formed at the inner surface of the main body section in a manner to ...

Tunnel region of a floor structure of a bodyshell f a motor vehicle and a transverse bridge. A tunnel region of a floor structure with a transverse bridge for reinforcing the tunnel region, which is held on the tunnel region by brackets fixed on side walls of the tunnel region. The side walls of the tunnel region are aligned vertically in the region in which the brackets are attached, and the brackets are positioned at the same height on the side walls.

A partition arrangement for a self-supporting body of a motor vehicle has a partition which is arranged at the forward end of a rear space and extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle and along a portion of its height between rear wheel houses of the motor vehicle. The arrangement is detachably fastened to boundary walls of the rear space. The partition extends along almost the entire height of the rear space and is arranged approximately in an upright transverse plane of the vehicle. ...

In an automobile body frame, a hollow beam formed by extrusion molding from a light metal material is used for linearly coupling the rear end of each front side frame to the side end of a rear cross member. A sheet rail bracket is formed by die casting for coupling the adjoining region of the center-pillar coupling portion of the side sill to the hollow beam.

A body component arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a body component having a specific shape which under the action of an applied force has different load and/or stress conditions within different regions of the body component including high load and/or stress conditions in a first region and lower load and/or stress conditions in a second region. A pattern of through holes is provided so that the through holes in the region of the lower load and/or stress conditions form a perforation pat...