Jeep designed a grille guard that converts into a bench

Grille guards shield radiators whereas making autos look more durable, however Jeep is taking a look at giving them one other objective.

The Stellantis model has designed a grille guard that folds all the way down to function a bench. This was disclosed in a patent software submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) Apr. 28, 2023, and printed by that company Oct. 31, 2024.

In response to the patent submitting, the grille guard could be connected to the automobile’s important construction by a bracket with a pivoting mechanism, permitting it to maneuver from a standard vertical place to a horizontal place to be used as a bench. The design requires a tubular construction much like typical grille guards, with a detachable panel or panels to supply extra comfy seating.

Folded down, the grille guard would supply seating like an open tailgate, however extending from the entrance of the automobile as a substitute of the again. That’s one thing most different automakers haven’t thought-about, though Lucid plans to supplied detachable seats for the entrance trunk of its Gravity electrical SUV to be used when parked.

As for why it’s trying to patent a mixture grille guard and bench, Jeep famous within the software that there’s a substantial marketplace for automobile equipment, significantly for the off-roaders it’s recognized for, including that “there’s a want for automobile equipment to serve a couple of objective.”

Accompanying drawings present a Wrangler-like SUV, so it’s potential that this accent is being thought-about for that mannequin’s redesign. The subsequent-generation Wrangler, often known as the J70 sequence, is predicted to reach in 2028 with plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains. One other electrical SUV, the Recon, can be anticipated to look earlier than the J70 as an alternative choice to the present gasoline Wrangler. It was just lately spied testing forward of what is going to probably be a 2025 launch.