Dodge Has Invented A Way To Pimp Out Your Car Without Ever Touching A Drill Or Screwdriver

When we last discussed Stellantis patent applications, the giant conglomerate was imagining an EV with a battery fire situation dropping the pack out the bottom of the chassis as the car and its occupants skedaddle to a safe distance under 12-volt power. Stellantis’ latest innovation switches focus from cars getting hot to cars looking hot. Specifically, with a rear wing and assorted accessory pieces that can be easily installed and removed via clips and plugs. Or, as the patent application names the system, Modular Aerodynamic Panels For A Vehicle, which was first noticed by Gary Gastelu and shared on BlueSky.

The patent, which you can view here, shows a six-component design that includes the main wing surface, “winglets” that attach to its sides, and trim parts to (presumably) make the affair look properly integrated as opposed to, you know, clipped on.

An interesting extra bit is the optional filler panel that, when installed, makes the wing a continuous part of the roofline. Remove it, and the wing is cantilevered off the back of the car a little, allowing air to flow below it as well as over it. I’ve colored the parts in question, as patent drawings make my brain hurt:

You can see the airflow illustrated below, as well as an ungainly-looking option (figure 4A) with the wing-gap-covering panel and winglets installed, but the wing itself removed. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Figure 5 shows the car with all the bits removed. No word on whether the wing system will be offered for the Dodge Caliber as apparently shown here, but fingers crossed.

There is also the tantalizing possibility of the wing being motorized, so it may move up and down thusly:

I’m sure you can guess where the motors would go, and if you guessed “the winglets,” you are correct (see below). The patent explains the wing could raise and lower automatically as a function of the car’s speed, or the driver could choose from a range of positions manually.

Here’s hoping Stellantis files a separate patent application for a “wave mode,” wherein you can signal your appreciation for a driver letting you pass by flapping the wing. Or use it to wave goodbye as you mat the pedal of your Caliber SRT4 and leave the other guy in the dust, provided their machine is slower to 60 mph than six seconds.

As for how the parts attach, the patent describes a couple of possibilities. One is
“releasable lever-actuated spring clips” as illustrated below, both as a cross section and brutalist architecture:

Alternatively, “an extension portion received within a receiver” could be used to attach the bits. In other words, the parts just plug in. The patent doesn’t go into it beyond “The inside of the receiver (810B) may have a detent (812) for receiving a groove (814) in the extension 810A,” but I think the idea here is that 810A is a firmer material than 810B. It’s a plug, you get it.

“In FIG. 8D, the underside of the winglet 20 is illustrated having a plurality of extensions 810A that are received within receivers.” Got it.

Below, the patent shows plugs being used to attach the wing in a non-movable installation. Perhaps a lower-cost option?

OK, so first: neat. I like the idea of sparing would-be “modders” from messing up their cars with mis-drilled holes and whatever other shenanigans might be required for an accessory wing installation.

Tool-less installation and removal is also very handy for anyone who might not want their car to be in boy-racer mode 24-7. You could be wing-on for hooning with the fellas, then go wing-off to meet your girlfriend’s parents. Swap those genders as you like, of course. I can also see Pep Boys stocking compatible aftermarket plug-in parts, styled with varying degrees of outlandishness, ready to clip and/or plug into the system.

Unfortunately, I can also see the wing parts being unplugged by thieves just as easily as by their owners, but that can be a problem for another patent.

Top graphic base image: USPTO