The floor of Detroit's Cobo Hall was filled with myriad concepts during the recent 2001 North American International Auto Show. Of interest from a body perspective were a number of vehicles. Volvo's Safety Concept Car (SCC) has see-through A-pillars, an idea that may make its way into production on Volvo's 2004 Ford Focus-size S40/V40 replacement. Toyota's Matrix features body panels that combine sharp edges and soft curves in a single panel, thanks to "edge-web" panel forming technology. It will grow in importance as Toyota continues to chase the youth market. And Diamler-Chrysler rolled out the latest iteration of its compostie body technology in the guise of the Jeep Willys.

However, the most pervasive trend in body design/engineering is the reappearance of "suicide doors", those rear opening doors last seen in volume on the 1961-1969 Lincoln Continetal. The door design came under legislative scrutiny in the late 1960s, and disappeared from the automotive scene soon thereafter. Only recently did extended cab pickup trucks and the Saturn SC bring this idea back from the dead.

Today, suicide doors are on concept vehicles everywhere. Unlike those found on the '61 Continental, however, most of the new designs eliminate the B-pillar. The reason for this change is to provide easy access to the interior. Whether used for improving access to the rear seats for adults, children, or adults with children in car seats; hauling large objects; or supporting the ubiquitous "active lifestyle" owner, the suicide door is the body style of choice for today's designer.

Proof of this statement can be found in one simple fact: Ten of the concepts shown in Detroit sported suicide doors. (Another, the Pontiac vibe, was scheduled for introduction at the Chicago Auto Show.) Of those, only one - the Volvo SCC - did not dispense with the B-pillar. Yet all used upper and lower latches to tie the rear doors into the overall structure. One, the Mazda RX-8, is production-bound. Others - like the Homda Model X, GMC Terracross, and Nissan's massive Alpha-T pickup truck concept - are clear indicators that the comapnies are seriously considering this body style for production. Clearly, the suicide door is the body trend.

[Web Master's Comments: While suicide doors are in abundant quantities at the 2001 North American International Auto Show, there have been plenty of concept cars over the past ten years featuring them. Automotive designers are putting them on concepts, but they seldom make it to production. True, the Saturn SC coupe and Ram Quad-Cab have rear hinged doors, but they are not independent of the front doors and are prevented from opening if the front doors are not open either partially or completely. They are more hatches than doors. Only time will tell if the automakers of today are bold enough to bring back a design feature that the '61-'69 Continentals flaunted to the rest of the industry. Any owner of a classic '60s Lincoln is well aware how easy ingress and egress are for rear passengers because of suicide doors. They simplify design and make for a more rigid body, with or without B-pilars.]