GMC’s MultiPro Tailgate Wins Top Innovation Award: Video - GM Authority

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The pickup truck market is infested with die-hard enthusiasts, billions of dollars of research and development from automakers, and a slew of innovations designed to make truck ownership easier. One of the most significant developments in the last year is GMC’s MultiPro tailgate—an innovative tailgate design that offers six unique positions for a variety of purposes. Edmunds took notice of the new tailgate, awarding it the title of “Most Innovative New Engineering Technology Feature.”

GMC jumped on the funky tailgate bandwagon when it introduced the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The brand made the MultiPro tailgate optional on some trims. It did so after years of chastising Ford for its integrated tailgate step. However, GMC went far beyond anything Ford introduced. The MultiPro tailgate offers six positions that make the tailgate both functional and flexible depending on the needs of the owner. Uses of the tailgate include a load-stop, a standing work station, an integrated step, second-tier loading solutions, and more. An assist handle is available, too to make it easier getting up into the bed and back down to the ground

Alistair Weaver, Edmund’s vice president of editorial and editor-in-chief, called GMC’s tailgate a “revolution.”

Surprisingly, the MultiPro tailgate wasn’t GMC’s only idea for a multifunction tailgate. During development of the 2019 Sierra 1500, engineers proposed a barn-door style tailgate. However, the MultiPro tailgate won in the end. Ram, however, favored a barn-door style tailgate. The automaker unveiled earlier this month such a design for the 2019 Ram 1500.

According to Tim Herrick, executive chief engineer for GM’ full-size pickup trucks, barn-style tailgates don’t offer enough additional functionality over a traditional tailgate design, which is why GMC opted for the MultiPro design. Herrick added that such a tailgate didn’t earn much acceptance among consumers in the past. One area of concern over the barn-style tailgate was the packaging of an integrated step.