Ford Shows Off Pillarless Sliding Doors, Avoids Bird Naming References
Published: February 17th, 2012
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No gullwing or “falcon wing” doors here. Ford’s new B-Max MPV has a unique solution to the problem of getting into a minivan without making a fool of yourself – pillarless sliding doors.
Rather than include a B-Pillar, Ford is using a new high strength steel that is strong enough to withstand the stresses that would normally require a B-pillar. The upside is 5 feet of unobstructed space that can be used for easy access to the rear seat, or for loading large objects. Only world markets will get the B-MAX, but this technology should filter down to other vehicles in the future. Once the B-MAX is unveiled at the Mobile World Congress Geneva Auto Show, we’ll have more information on how Ford pulled this off.
More by Derek Kreindler
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Not really a new idea, mitsu and Nissan did it in the 80s. This is prob a better design though. Did you notice the smooth jams? Looks like the attachments are in the top or bottom. I think this will allow either door to open independently.
JCraig intimated that with the pillarless design, as it won't be sold here and I have to disagree on the grounds that this design can be made very safe for either Europe or here in the US. This is because they both have pretty stringent crash testing for all vehicles and from what I can tell, the overall results for both Europe and here are quite similar so cars built in Europe are about as safe as what's sold here for the most part and it's how they get to the similar results that differed, sometimes quite markedly.
I like it purely because assembly costs go down.
Nope! I don't like it a bit. It's new, it's different, it's not like anything else on the market. It doesn't use the same technology as every other car available now! I don't trust it, not one bit. By god, if Studebaker still sold the 1920 "Big Six", that's exactly what I would buy, because everything else is, pardon my French, SCARY!