GM wants to equip its pickup trucks with a bed extension. This is according to two patents recently filed by General Motors (GM) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Such an addition to the models would enable owners to enjoy the capacity of a long bed, when they need it.
The irony is that not so long ago, models were offered with 8-foot boxes. Today, the boxes are shorter, because the cabins are bigger.
One of the applications, registered on March 12th, is called “Pickup Truck Cargo Bed Extension Systems”. The extension would allow the bed to stretch to eight feet.
Operating the system would be simple. The tailgate and floor slide back to extend the load space, with an option for hinged panels that could completely close off the area between the tailgate and the bed’s walls, to provide an enclosed environment.
The March 12 request followed another made on February 12. That application, “Truck Having a Dynamically Adjustable Box ", showed a body divided into two parts, upper and lower. The former is fixed to the chassis, while the latter can be extended to create a larger cargo bed.
GM is not the only manufacturer working on this - Ford has already filed patent applications for extendable bodies.
In any case, it’s safe to say that if one Big Three automaker comes to market with this type of body, the others will follow suit with a similar solution.
And since both GM and Ford have registered requests, you can expect that each will want to be the first to offer it. The race is on.