Body

The bonnet covers the engine compartment, protecting it against direct damage from atmospheric agents, and is also an integral and distinguishing part of your vehicle's style.

The most commonly used material is steel, which can be found in all of the parts which make up the bonnet. Depending on the component, the steel may be high-resistance, to ensure optimum mechanical performance, as well as preventing buckling and denting.

Panel thickness is optimised to reduce vehicle weight: and more recently, aluminium panels have also been used on some models, offering lower CO₂ emissions and reduced fuel consumption.

When designing bonnets, particular attention is paid to accidental collisions with pedestrians: an international standard sets out the type approval of models in line with specific parameters, to increase safety in the case of an accident involving a pedestrian, up to certain speed limits.

During the design phase, the controlled crumple and deformation points are fixed, to prevent the bonnet from moving back towards the windscreen and injuring the vehicle occupants in the case of a front impact.

Opening the bonnet gives access to the engine compartment for routine maintenance and other interventions: to improve working conditions, the size of the opening is specifically designed in line with ergonomic research. Some models are fitted with gas springs which control the bonnet opening, offering increased comfort for vehicle maintenance personnel.

The role of the bumper is to prevent or limit damage during low speed collisions.

The bumper has a fundamental impact on the vehicle's style: today the range of bumper configurations has expanded - the design of a vehicle's bumper can reduce the dimensions of its bonnet, thus reducing weight and increasing performance.

The bumpers also play a part in the vehicle's aerodynamic performance, in turn optimising fuel consumption.

This part of the car is classed as a "sacrificial" element of the system which protects the sensitive engine parts: thanks to its specific crumple characteristics, it is used to protect parts which would otherwise be broken or damaged upon impacts occurring during vehicle manoeuvres, or during minor collisions with other vehicles. The bumper also absorbs collisions, deflecting the energy flows created following an impact.

Bumpers capable of absorbing the energy of an impact have “controlled crumple zones” and can withstand minor collisions without suffering any damage.

There are several important aspects involved in original bumper type approval:

• Pedestrian impact: the impact must be correctly distributed over the bumper surface, in order to limit potential injury of the pedestrian, absorbing head impact in the case of a fall, and flexing upon impact with the tibia
• Insurance impact: the bumper is designed to limit damage to other parts of the vehicle, for example the side panels and the light clusters
• Radii standards: the radii created by the bumper geometry must ensure the minimum possible risk for pedestrians in the case of an impact
• Minimum ground clearance type approval: the protected area set out by current vehicle standards, is 138 mm above the road surface. For commercial vehicles, this limit changes depending on vehicle size and capacity

Mopar_® original spare parts are supplied ready primed, treated with a special grey or black base known as primer. Priming optimises paint absorption and ensures perfect colour matching between plastic and metal parts, increasing the paint's resistance to washing.

The bonnet and the two wings create the style of the front section of the vehicle.
The wings cover the tyres to protect other vehicles from flying gravel caused by the rotation of the wheels when the vehicle is in motion. The wings are usually fitted with wheel compartment guards which reduce noise from the engine inside the vehicle and help protect against flying gravel. The wings are secured to the body with mechanical fixings, for easy replacement in the case of maintenance or damage.

The shape of the wing plays a part in improving aerodynamic performance and meeting buckling and denting The wings must pass international type approval tests relating to pedestrian impact, which require the component to collapse upon impact, within predetermined speed limits.

Wings are manufactured from highly recyclable materials such as steel, aluminium and plastic, with advanced mechanical performance. The choice of materials is guided by the trade-off between performance and weight objectives.

These protect the front and rear sections of the vehicle, limiting damage caused by collisions at speeds of up to 15 mph, which typically take place in cities. Crossmembers are bolted on, and easily and cheaply replaced: they function as a kind of "fuse" for other components which are more expensive to repair or replace (for example bonnets, wings, radiators, tailgates or boot lids, light clusters, exhaust pipes, struts, etc.).

The front and rear sacrificial crossmembers have controlled crumple zones. They are structured to absorb impacts at speeds of up to 15 mph, which is statistically the typical speed of a shunt accident in an urban environment. The crossmember is one of the elements which improve your vehicle's passive safety, a component with the role of absorbing kinetic energy created by the vehicle and its occupants during a collision, in order to limit the consequences of an accident.

The component which absorbs energy in the case of a collision is known as the Crash Box and is connected to the vehicle's front struts and rear side members. This energy absorption prevents the crumpling of components not bolted on (side members or struts), or of sensitive vehicle components, such as the engine cooling system. Here too, absorption is ensured by a controlled crumple zone.

These reduce possible bumper damage during minor collisions which may occur in the case of contact during parking manoeuvres.

On the outside, they ensure the continuity of the vehicle's shape and style and, when open, they offer sufficient space to access the passenger compartment. The doors protect the vehicle occupants from potentially dangerous intrusions caused by side or front impact and are without a doubt one of the most used vehicle components, especially the door which gives access to the driver's seat.

The door system is highly specific, made up of a range of materials: there is always a structural skeleton, usually in steel or aluminium, connected to the vehicle using hinges. This structure is then dressed with all the accessories it needs to ensure a waterproof finish, the functionality of the electric devices such as the windows, speakers and courtesy lights, acoustic comfort and an attractive interior aesthetic, both visually and to the touch.

The position, the shape and the operating loads of the door handles are researched down to the smallest detail, to ensure smooth operation.

Ergonomic solutions ensure the optimum usage conditions for all door mechanisms.