The BMW X5 has lost one of its most practical features with the redesigned fifth-generation model, but a newly discovered Genesis patent suggests the two-piece tailgate could soon return in a different form.
Genesis Patent Shows New Split Tailgate Design
A patent application filed by Hyundai Motor Group with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last year and published last week shows a two-piece tailgate design similar to the system used on previous BMW X5 models, although it includes several notable differences.
CarBuzz recently found the patent, which depicts a system that can still be raised as a single piece like a conventional tailgate. The design also brings to mind the system GMC used on the 2004 and 2005 Envoy XUV.
Unlike the BMW X5, the vehicle shown in the patent has a coupe-like profile. That could point to an application for something such as the Genesis GV80 Coupe or its successor, although some Hyundai or Kia models could potentially use the design as well.
How Genesis’ Tailgate Could Work
The upper portion of the tailgate can open upward in the expected manner, but the design adds another option. A central section can fold down partially into the cabin, similar to a midgate, creating an open loading area that effectively turns the rear of the vehicle into a small pickup bed.
The lower section could also remain open, allowing longer objects to extend through the rear. The result is a more versatile take on the traditional split tailgate, offering additional ways to use the cargo area while retaining the convenience of a conventional tailgate.
However, the more complex mechanism could also create challenges during production or later with reliability and moisture ingress.
Why BMW Dropped the X5 Split Tailgate
BMW has not formally explained why it removed the two-piece tailgate from the latest X5, despite the feature becoming one of the SUV’s defining characteristics.
Reduced production costs may appear to be an obvious explanation, but Philip Koehn, BMW’s senior vice president of Product Line Luxury Class, offered other reasons in an interview with BMW Blog at the X5’s debut.
Koehn said one reason for dropping the design was that, on earlier X5 models, raising the lower section made adding or removing items from the cargo area feel comfortable only for people with longer-than-average arms.
He also explained that the new roofline of the fifth-generation X5 places the tailgate slightly lower. As a result, the lower opening of the cargo area also sits lower, making it easier to load and unload items through the single opening.
