General Motors has the MultiPro tailgate, but now it looks like GM is developing yet another new tailgate to take on its Detroit rivals.
GM recently filed a trademark application for the name “Multistow”. The application was filed on February 16, 2023, and seeks to use the name Multistow for “motorized land vehicle tailgates.”
GM started the trick tailgate craze with the MultiPro tailgate, which is a GMC Sierra and later made his way to the GMC Hummer EV. The Chevrolet Silverado also gets its own version called Multi-Flex. Both brands offer six configurations built around a movable tailgate center that can be used as a cargo stop, fold-out step or work surface.
It’s unclear how the GM Multistow tailgate might differ from the company’s current tailgate, but the “storage” nomenclature implies some sort of storage capability. Chevrolet offers the new midsize 2023 Colorado with a StowFlex tailgate that features a small storage area in the center (shown above). Perhaps the Multistow tailgate is a larger version for full-size trucks.
Maybe GM is going after the Ram and RamBox bedside storage bins. The Ram also offers a split tailgate which creates two vertical openings, facilitating access to the bed. That’s the one thing GM’s current MultiPro/Multi-Flex tailgate can’t do.
Don’t expect the tailgate wars to stop there, though. A flurry of recent patent filings indicate that automakers are trying to one-up each other by adding tailgate features. THE Ford three-piece tailgate The patent was published in 2022, while Rivian filed a patent application telescopic and folding tailgatesand the tailgate step.
GM is also bringing back the center gate Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickups. Ram showed his own version of the Revolution BEV conceptpreviewing the brand’s first mass-produced electric truck, the Ram 1500 REVdue in 2024.
This article was originally published by Motor Authorityeditorial partner ClassicCars.com.
