autoevolution
 

MultiPro Tailgate In 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Started As An Idea In 2009

For the 2019 model year, the GMC Sierra is all new from the ground up. But as opposed to the Silverado from Chevrolet, the half-ton pickup with luxurious appointments has an ace up its sleeve. Enter the MultiPro tailgate, an industry-first design that General Motors describes as “the segment’s most innovative tailgate ever.”
2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition 15 photos
Photo: GMC
2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition
Looking at the bigger picture, GM should’ve improved the build quality and reliability of trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars before coming up with the MultiPro tailgate. Adding insult to injury, the “six unique functions and positions” and carbon fiber don’t come cheap.

Take the Sierra 1500 SLT as a prime example. In this application, the MultiPro tailgate comes standard at a price of $44,300 excluding destination charge. GMC is much obliged to switch back to a traditional tailgate if you so wish, and on the long run, it would be easier to repair a traditional tailgate than the MultiPro in the case of an accident or wear & tear.

General Motors invested a lot of greenback and almost 10 years into the MultiPro, hence the aggressive marketing campaign. The Detroit Free Press understands that Jim Gobart is the man behind the novelty tailgate, and his job at GM in 2009 was “to devise ways to improve cars and trucks.”

The idea Gobart pitched to the higher-ups was a configurable tailgate which used to be known as Stairway to Heaven. The engineer nicknamed it after the classic song from Led Zeppelin “because I thought I would want it and the customer would certainly want it.”

Gobart and lead integration engineer Derek Patterson worked their magic on the MultiPro, coming up with the first iteration of the MultiPro after cutting up and combining two tailgates. “GM leaders thought it was a great idea and everyone wanted one,” said Gobart.

On the other hand, the year the project kicked off wasn’t the best one for General Motors. The Great Recession was in full swing back then, and GM had to file for bankruptcy protection in order to stay alive.

So far, Gobart has his name on 11 patents filed by General Motors with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Albert Butlin is the man who invented the latching system for the MultiPro, and going forward, Gobart has eight more patents in the pipeline. Not bad for a man without a college degree, isn’t it?
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories