In 1996, Porsche debuted its newest 911 Targa with an expensive mechanical twist. Instead of the Targa’s traditional, removable roof panel, the 993-series 911 featured a glass roof that slid back, like a giant sunroof, to rest just ahead of the rear window. Based on a patent application filed in January 2021 and picked up by the NewNissanZ forum, a Hyundai engineer has a similar idea in mind but in reverse, and for crossovers. Paperwork filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office titled “Sliding Tailgate” describes a mechanism to slide a liftgate up over the roof, instead of having the gate hinge from the top and open outward from the vehicle. By sliding up instead of opening out, the patent application suggest the gate will be easier to open, and can be opened in places where obstacles behind the vehicle could prevent a traditional hatch from opening all the way.
The mechanism is simple. When it’s time to put gear into the load bay, a short lever arm at the top of the tailgate bends to raise the top edge of the gate over the roof. The bottom of the arm slides on tracks along the edges of the vehicle roof, the bottom edge of the tailgate following in tracks along the edges of the load bay. According to the images, the tailgate sits above the roof in its fully opened position.
The idea isn’t new, nor is Hyundai the only OEM looking into such solutions. Renault released a version of its Kangoo van called the Be Bop with a kooky closure system. The rear window could drop down into the tailgate, the gate swinging out like that on a Jeep Wrangler or a Ford Bronco. Then, for the ultimate in access, the rear half of the roof could pop up and slide forward, creating a load bay opening that could swallow a (narrow) bookcase, and some rather windy conditions for back seat passengers. Perhaps ahead of its time, as with so many Renault inventions, the Kangoo Be Bob only lasted three years on the market, from 2009 to 2012.
At the same time the Kangoo Be Bob was on the market, Honda applied for a U.S. patent for a dual-action rear hatch similar to the Renault’s. In Honda’s application, the tailgate folded back like on a pickup truck. The rear glass could open like a traditional fastback hatch, or rise and slide over the roof.
We know that Hyundai likes slidey things, though, the South Korean company having applied to patent a sliding cargo tray in 2005 and sliding gullwing doors in 2016. It’s only a matter of time before all those extra hinges make it to the dealer lot.
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