Stellantis' filings hint it's bringing some new competition to the truck game.
Stellantis has filed a patent that looks rather similar to something you might find on a Ford F-150. After all, Ford has had some level of fold-out tailgate step for ages now. That's almost exactly what this patent uncovered by Motor Authority is. Stellantis has filed a patent showing some sort of truck bed step assist that deploys from next to the tailgate, just underneath your truck's tail light.
The patent, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, shows a step that, when deployed, hangs just in front of the rear bumper on the driver's side of the tailgate. We imagine the mechanism isn't limited to one side of the vehicle or the other. From there, the attached step can grant access to the bed without you having to use the liftgate.
To a degree, it feels a bit like a solution to a problem some have already solved. Ford has its system, and others have simply molded steps into the bodywork near the tailgate. Problem solved. That said, this one looks to be a hair lower. Note the height of the step in the above gallery.
The bottom point of the step (item 50 in the drawing) falls at roughly the height of the tow hitch. That puts it level with where Ford's falls on the F-150. Stellantis points out in the application that the height of the bed is what it's working to circumvent here.
We know we've kind of been dogging Ram here a little. But this problem may alleviate this kind of dogging in the future. The Ram 1500 doesn't currently have a solution to match Ford's tailgate solution or Chevy's Multi-Flex. Or GMC's MultiPro tailgate. Or GMC's molded bumper steps.
Point is, the trucks from Stellantis do need something to match rivals from Ford, Chevy, and others. By bringing this patent to production, Ram and other trucks from Stellantis should be able to better compete with rivals. We're hoping this solution is quicker to deploy than Ford's, say with some kind of spring-loaded mechanism. The step-and-rail solution on the F-150 is time-consuming to erect, and Stellantis has a chance to come in and beat Ford at its own game here.
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