Vehicle body and door assembly with expanded access opening

Abstract

A vehicle body and door assembly includes a body that has a pair of sides. Each of the sides has an A pillar and a C pillar that extend between a roof rail and a rocker panel. A door assembly includes a front door and a rear door that are each moveably connected to the body, and moveable between open and closed positions. At least one latch is configured to secure the front and rear doors in the closed position. At least one of the roof rail and the rocker panel defines a front slot and a rear slot. At least one of a top and bottom of each of the front and rear doors presents a front catch pin and a rear catch pin for being received by the front and rear slots during closing, and to inhibit movement away from the closed position.

Description

VEHICLE BODY AND DOOR ASSEMBLY WITH EXPANDED ACCESS OPENINGCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This PCT International Patent Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 678,115 filed August 1, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to body and door assemblies for vehicles, such as automobiles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle body and door assembly in which the body does not have a B pillar in order to provide an expanded access opening.BACKGROUND

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Sedan and sport utility vehicle style automobiles typically include an arrangement of front and rear doors, which permit users to access front and rear seats of the vehicle through front and rear access openings. Each of the doors are pivotable along a hinge that is connected to the body of the vehicle. The doors also each have a latch assembly which includes a latch on the door which is configured to engage a striker that is mounted on the body of the vehicle to selectively secure the door in a closed position. The striker associated with each front door is typically mounted to a B pillar of the body, while the striker associated with each rear door is typically mounted to a C pillar of the body. Accordingly, there is an independent access opening to the interior associated with each of the front and rear doors.

[0005] In order to provide an expanded access opening, vehicles have been developed without a traditional B pillar incorporated into the body. Rather, the B pillar is effectively defined by edges of the front and rear doors. Under this arrangement, the front door hinges along the A pillar, the rear door hinges along the C pillar, and edges of the doors meet when closed, to effectively define the B pillar. Safety requirements for such arrangements require a satisfactory connection between the doors and the body. Accordingly, such assemblies typically have an arrangement of latches between the door and the body, usually along the roof rail of the body. They also typically include a catcher system or additional latch between the doors to secure the doors to one another. Each of the latches are typically large, multi-component assemblies, and often include a motor for effectuating movement of the doors. However, due to their large size and location at the top roof rail area, some vehicle attributes are compromised, like head clearance, ingress, egress, styling and aerodynamics.

[0006] In view of the foregoing, there remains a continued need for improvements to vehicle door and body assemblies.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0007] According to an aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle body and door assembly includes a body that has a pair of sides. Each of the sides has a roof rail and a rocker panel that extend opposite one another. An A pillar and a C pillar each extend between the roof rail and rocker panel in spaced relationship with one another. An access opening is defined between the A pillar, C pillar, roof rail and rocker panel. A pair of door assemblies are each connected to one of the sides of the body. Each of the door assemblies has a front door that is moveably connected to the body. The front door is moveable in forward and rearward directions between an open position opening a front portion of the access opening, and a closed position closing the front portion of the accessopening. The front door has a frontward side and a rearward side opposite the frontward side, a top side and a bottom side. A rear door is moveably connected to the body. The rear door is moveable in the frontward and rearward directions between an open position opening a rear portion of the access opening, and a closed position closing the rear portion of the access opening. The rear door has a forward side and a rear side opposite the forward side, a top side and a bottom side. The rearward side of the front door and the forward side of the rear door together define a B pillar when the front and rear doors are in the closed position. At least one latch is configured to secure the front and rear doors in the closed position. At least one of the roof rail and the rocker panel defines a front slot and a rear slot. At least one of the top and bottom of each of the front and rear doors presents a front catch pin and a rear catch pin configured to be received by the front and rear slots when the front and rear doors are slid into the closed positions to inhibit movement of the front and rear doors out of the closed position.

[0008] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle body and door assembly includes a body that has a pair of sides that each have a roof rail and a rocker panel that extend opposite one another. An A pillar and a C pillar each extend between the roof rail and rocker panel in spaced relationship with one another. An access opening is defined between the A pillar, C pillar, roof rail and rocker panel. A pair of door assemblies are each connected to one of the sides of the body. Each of the door assemblies has a front door and a rear door that are each moveable between open and closed positions. A rearward side of the front door and a forward side of the rear door are positioned adjacent to one another and define a B pillar of the vehicle when in the closed positions. At least one latch is configured to secure the front and rear doors in the closed position. At least one of the roof rail and the rocker panel define a front slot and a rear slot. At least one of a top and bottom of each of the front and rear doors presents a front catch pin and arear catch pin that are configured to be received by the front and rear slots when the front and rear doors are moved into the closed positions to inhibit movement of the front and rear doors out of the closed position.

[0009] The catch pins provide a connection between the B pillar region of the doors and the body, while only requiring a single latch located between the doors. This provides a structurally strong connection between the front and rear doors and the body, thus providing safety via a simple structure that does not require latches along the roof rail or rocker panel. This arrangement may be packaged without infringing on any vehicle attributes (ingress, egress, passenger volume, visibility, styling or aerodynamics).BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Other advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0011] FIG. l is a side view of a body in white and door assembly of a vehicle according to an aspect of the disclosure, illustrating doors of the door assembly in a closed position;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of the body in white and door assembly of the vehicle, illustrating the doors in an open position;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the body in white and door assembly of the vehicle, illustrating the doors in the open position;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an arrangement of arms and a rotary actuator for connecting the doors to the body in white and for moving the doors relative to the body in white;

[0015] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a side of the body in white, illustrating the location of the arms and rotary actuator for moving the doors;

[0016] FIG. 5B is a magnified view of front arms and a front rotary actuator of FIG. 5 A;

[0017] FIG. 5C is a magnified view of rear arms and a rear rotary actuator of FIG. 5 A;

[0018] FIG. 6 is side view of the body in white and door assembly, with the doors in a closed position;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a side view of the body in white;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view a top rail of the body in white defining a pair of slots for receiving catch pins along edges of the doors;

[0021] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of two doors of the door assembly, illustrating two catch pins;

[0022] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the body in white, illustrating the pair of slots receiving the catch pins of the doors; and

[0023] FIG. 11 is a side, cross-sectional view of the body in white and door, illustrating a connection of one of the catch pins of the doors in one of the slots of the body in white.DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT

[0024] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to a vehicle assembly 18, and more particularly to a body 22 and door assembly 20 for a vehicle. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some exampleembodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. It should be appreciated that the teachings of the present disclosure could be applied to various types of vehicles such as recreation vehicles.

[0025] More particularly, referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of a vehicle assembly 18 are provided. The vehicle assembly 18 has a body 22 that has a pair of sides 24. The sides 24 may include a driver side 24 (i.e., a left hand side) and a passenger side (i.e., a right hand side, not shown). The teachings discussed herein may be applied to both sides of the body 22. According to the shown embodiment, the body 22 is at a body in white (BIW) stage of production of the vehicle assembly 18, which is a stage in which a body of the vehicle has been joined together, but prior to the integration of components like a motor, cradle chassis sub-assemblies and trim into the vehicle assembly 18. The teachings described herein may also be applied to a body at other stages of production.

[0026] With reference to FIGS. 1-3, each of the sides 24 of the body in white 22 has a roof rail 26 and a rocker panel 28 that extend generally parallel to one another at top and bottom sides of the body in white 22. An A pillar 30 and a C pillar 32 each extend between the roof rail 26 and rocker panel 28 in spaced relationship with one another. An access opening 34 is defined between the A pillar 30, C pillar 32, roof rail 26 and rocker panel 28.

[0027] The door assembly 20 has a front door 36 that is moveably connected to the body in white 22. More particularly, according to the disclosed embodiments, the front door 36 is translatable toward and away from the body 22 in frontward and rearward directions between an open position (FIG. 2) opening a front portion of the access opening 34, and a closed position (FIG. 1) closing the front portion of the access opening 34. The front door 36 has a frontward side38 and a rearward side 40 opposite the frontward side 38, a top side 42 and a bottom side 44. As shown in FIGS. 2-5C, to facilitate movement, a pair of front arms 45A extend between and are pivotable relative to both the front door 36 and the rocker panel 28. The front arms 45A are shaped in a non-linear manner such that the front door 36 is translatable between the open position and closed position via pivoting of the arms 45 while residing along a plane that is parallel to / aligned with the side 24 of the body in white 22. A front rotary actuator 47A is configured to pivot the front arms 45A to initiate movement of the front door 36 in response to instructions from a controller 62 (schematically shown in FIG. 4) in order to provide automatic opening and closing of the front door 36. The controller 62 may take various forms, such as an ECM (electronic control module) of the vehicle, and may have various associated input devices, e.g., a key fob, smart phone or door handle, which permit operators to manually or automatically activate the actuator 47 and other electronic components.

[0028] Similarly, the door assembly 20 has a rear door 46 that is moveably connected to the body in white 22. Like the front door 36, the rear door 46 is translatable toward and away from the body 22 and in the frontward and rearward directions between an open position (FIG. 2) opening a rear portion of the access opening 34, and a closed position (FIG. 1) closing the rear portion of the access opening 34. The rear door 46 has a forward side 48 and a rear side 50 opposite the forward side 48, a top side 52 and a bottom side 54. As shown in FIGS. 2-5C, to facilitate movement of the rear door 46, a pair of rear arms 45B extend between and are pivotable relative to both the rear door 46 and the rocker panel 28. The rear arms 45B are shaped in a non-linear manner such that the rear door 46 is translatable between the open position and closed position via pivoting of the rear arms 45B while residing along a plane that is parallel to / aligned with the side 24 of the body in white 22. A rotary actuator 47B is configured to pivot the rear arms 45B toinitiate movement of the rear door 46 in order to provide automatic opening and closing of the rear door 46. Like the front rotary actuator 47A of the front door 36, the rear rotary actuator 47B of the rear door 46 may be selectively actuated via instructions from the controller 62.

[0029] The rearward side 40 and the forward side 48 of the front and rear doors 36, 46 are configured to be positioned in contact with one another while the doors 36, 46 are positioned in the closed position to close the access opening 34, and the rearward side 40 and forward side 48 of the front and rear doors 36, 46, respectively, are spaced from one another when the doors 36, 46 are positioned in the open position. As shown in FIG. 1, while in the closed position, the rearward side 40 and the forward side 48 of the front and rear doors 36, 46 together effectively define a B pillar of the vehicle.

[0030] As best shown in FIG. 6, a door-to-door latch 60A, 60B is connected to the forward side 48 of the rear door 46, and the rearward side 40 of the front door 36 when the front and rear doors 36, 46 are in the closed position to secure the front and rear doors 36, 46 to one another. More particularly, the door to door latch 60A, 60B has a first latch component 60A connected to the rearward side 40 of the front door 36 and a second latch component 60B connected to the forward side 48 of the rear door 46. The first and second latch components 60A, 60B are selectively detachably connectable to one another in response to instructions from the controller 62 and / or other opening and closing mechanisms, e.g., like a door handle. Any number of door-to-door latches 60A, 60B may be used and they may be distributed along the B pillar region defined by the front and rear doors 36, 46.

[0031] An A pillar latch 56A, 56B may be connected to the A pillar and the frontward side38 of the front door 36 when the front door 36 is positioned in the closed position to secure the front door 36 in the closed position. More particularly, the A pillar latch 56A, 56B has a first latchcomponent 56A connected to the A pillar 30 and a second latch component 56B connected to the frontward side 38 of the front door 36. The first and second latch components 56A, 56B are selectively detachably connectable to one another in response to instructions from the controller 62 and / or other opening and closing mechanisms, e.g. like the door handle.

[0032] Similarly, a C pillar latch 58A, 58B may be connected to the C pillar 32 and the rear side 50 of the rear door 46 when the rear door 46 is positioned in the closed position to secure the rear door 46 in the closed position. More particularly, the C pillar latch 58 A, 58B has a first latch component 58A connected to the C pillar 32 and a second latch component 58B connected to the rear side 50 of the rear door 46. The first and second latch components 58A, 58B are selectively detachably connectable to one another in response to instructions from the controller 62 and / or other opening and closing mechanisms, e.g., like the door handle.

[0033] Accordingly, the A pillar, C pillar and door to door latches 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 60A, 60B, as well as the rotary actuators 47, are selectively activated in response to activation from a user to effectuate movement and locking of the front and rear doors 36, 46, manually or automatically. More particularly, the latches 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 60A, 60B and rotary actuators 47 may be mechanically and / or electrically connected to input devices, door handles and the controller 62 to provide selective opening / closing and locking.

[0034] As best shown in FIGS. 7-8 and 10, the roof rail 26 of the body 22 defines an upper front slot 64A, 64B in alignment with the front door 36. Furthermore, the rocker panel 28 may define a lower front slot 65A, 65B in alignment with the front door 36. The roof rail 26 further defines an upper rear slot 66A, 66B in alignment with the rear door 46 and adjacent to the upper front slot 64A, 64B. The rocker panel 28 may also define a lower rear slot 67A, 67B in alignment with the rear door 46 and adjacent to the lower front slot 65A, 65B. Each of the slots 64A, 64B,65A, 65B, 66A, 66B, 67A, 67B has an elongated / linear portion 64A, 66A and an enlarged portion 64B, 66B.

[0035] As best shown in FIG. 9, the top side 42 of the front door 36 presents a front catch pin 68 adjacent to the rearward side 40 of the front door 36. Furthermore, the top side 52 of the rear door 46 presents a rear catch pin 70 adjacent to the forward side 48 of the rear door 46. The front catch pin 68 is configured to be received by the front slot 64 A, 64B when the front door 36 is slid into the closed position to inhibit movement of the front door 36 out of the closed position. The rear catch pin 70 is configured to be received by the rear slot 66A, 66B when the rear door 46 is slid into the closed position to inhibit movement of the rear door out 46 of the closed position. Additionally, the bottom side 44, 54 of the front and rear doors 36, 46 may have front and rear bottom catch pins 68, 70 (e.g., FIG. 6), which are configured to be received in the associated slots 65A, 65B, 67A, 67B along the rocker panel 28 in the same manner as the catch pins 68 at the tops of the doors 36, 46.. According to an embodiment, the catch pins 68, 70 and slots 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B are only arranged along the tops of the doors 36, 46 and roof rail 26, while according to another embodiment, the catch pins 68, 70 and slots 65A, 65B, 67A, 67B are only located along the bottoms of the doors 36, 46 and rocker panel 28, or both.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 9-11, each of the catch pins 68, 70 has a cylindrical portion 72 that extends linearly and terminates at a bolt end region 74. The bolt end region 74 may threaded such that it may be threadedly inserted into threaded holes at the tops and bottoms 42, 44, 52, 54 of the doors 36, 46 adjacent to the rearward side 40 of the front door 36 and forward side 50 of the rear door 46 such that the catch pins 68, 70 are located at the B pillar region defined by the doors 36, 46. Each of the catch pins 68, 70 further has a lower ring 76 positioned above the bolt end region 74. The lower ring 76 protrudes radially outwardly from the cylindrical portion 72 andengages the door 36, 46. The lower ring 76 is further welded to the door 36, 46 to further provide a connection of the catch pin 68, 70 to the door 36, 46. The threaded bolt end region 74 and welded lower ring 76 may be used independently, or together to provide the connection of the catch pin 68, 70 and the door 36, 46. An upper ring 78 is positioned above the lower ring 76 and protrudes radially outwardly from the cylindrical portion 72. The catch pins 68, 70 are a simple metal part which is easy to fabricate, e.g., via machining or forging processes.

[0037] According to the embodiment in which the catch pins 68, 70 and slots 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B are only located at the tops of the doors 36, 46 and roof rail 26, when the front and rear doors 36, 46 are closed, the cylindrical portion 72 and the upper ring portions 78 of the catch pins 68, 70 are configured to be received by the slots 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B when the door 36, 46 is moved toward the closed position. More particularly, during closing of each of the doors 36, 46, initially, the upper ring 78 is received by the enlarged portion 64A, 66A, of the slot 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B, and then slid into the linear portion 64B, 66B. On the other hand, when the front and rear doors 36, 46 are opened, the upper ring portions 78 of the catch pins 68, 70 are configured to initially slide along the linear portion 64A, 66A of the slot 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B, then be removed from the slot 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B at the enlarged portion 64B, 66B of the slot 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B. The same process may be applied where catch pins 70 and slots 65A, 65B, 67A, 67B are located along the bottom sides of the doors 36, 46 and rocker panel 28.

[0038] Accordingly, the catch pins 68, 70 provide a connection between the B pillar region of the doors 36, 46 and the body in white 22, while only requiring a single door-to-door latch 60A, 60B located between the doors 36, 46. Because of this, it should be appreciated that the subject assembly 18 may be constructed without use of the A and C pillar latches 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, but may alternatively include them. This provides a structurally strong connection between thefront and rear doors 36, 46 and the body in white 22, thus providing safety, via a simple structure that does not require latches. This arrangement may be packaged without infringing on vehicle attributes (ingress, egress, passenger volume, visibility, styling or aerodynamics). The catch pin 68, 70 to body in white 22 connection also beneficially compresses seals between doors 36, 46 and body in white 22. This arrangement further permits the door integrated B pillar to behave in a similar fashion as traditional B pillars.

[0039] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in that particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0040] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or later, or intervening element or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,”etc ). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to described various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0042] Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature’s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0043] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in any embodiment, evenif not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A vehicle body and door assembly, comprising: a body having a pair of sides each having: a roof rail and a rocker panel extending opposite one another; an A pillar and a C pillar each extending between the roof rail and rocker panel in spaced relationship with one another; an access opening defined between the A pillar, C pillar, roof rail and rocker panel; a pair of door assemblies each connected to one of the sides of the body, each of the door assemblies having: a front door moveably connected to the body, the front door moveable in frontward and rearward directions between an open position opening a front portion of the access opening, and a closed position closing the front portion of the access opening; the front door having a frontward side and a rearward side opposite the frontward side, a top side and a bottom side; a rear door moveably connected to the body, the rear door moveable in the frontward and rearward directions between an open position opening a rear portion of the access opening, and a closed position closing the rear portion of the access opening; the rear door having a forward side and a rear side opposite the forward side, a top side and a bottom side; wherein the rearward side of the front door and the forward side of the rear door together define a B pillar when the front and rear doors are in the closed position;at least one latch configured to secure the front and rear doors in the closed position; at least one of the roof rail and the rocker panel defining a front slot and a rear slot; and at least one of the top and bottom of each of the front and rear doors presenting a front catch pin and a rear catch pin configured to be received by the front and rear slots when the front and rear doors are slid into the closed positions to inhibit movement of the front and rear doors out of the closed position.

2. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one latch includes a door to door latch with a first latch component located at the forward side of the rear door and the rearward side of the front door, and wherein the first and second latch components of the door to door latch are selectively lockable to one another.

3. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the at least one latch further includes an A pillar latch with a first latch component located on the A pillar and a second latch component on the frontward side of the front door, and wherein the first and second latch components of the A pillar latch are selectively lockable to one another.

4. The vehicle assembly as set forth in 3, wherein the at least one latch further includes a C pillar latch with a first latch component located on the C pillar and a second latch component on the rear side of the rear door, and wherein the first and second latch components of the C pillar latch are selectively lockable to one another.

5. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a controller is configured to selectively lock and unlock the at least one latch.

6. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a pair of front arms extend between and are rotatable relative to the front door and the rocker panel to guide the front door between the open and closed positions.

7. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein a pair of rear arms extend between and are rotatable relative to the rear door and rocker panel to guide the rear door between the open and closed positions.

8. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 7, further including a front rotary actuator coupled to the front arms and configured to selectively move the front arms to move the front door between the open and closed positions, and a rear rotary actuator coupled to the rear arms and configured to selectively move the rear arms to move the rear door between the open and closed positions.

9. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 8, further including a controller configured to control the front and rear rotary actuators and the at least one latch.

10. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the top of each of the front doors presents the front catch pin, wherein the top of the rear door presents the rear catch pin,wherein the roof rail defines the front and rear slot, wherein the front catch pin is receivable in the front slot when the front door is in the closed position, and wherein the rear catch pin is receivable in the rear slot when the rear door is in the closed position.

11. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, further including a seal positioned along at least one of the rearward side of the front door and the forward side of the rear door to seal the front and rear doors relative to one another when the front and rear doors are in the closed position.

12. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of front and rear slots have an enlarged portion and a linear portion extending from the enlarged portion, wherein the front catch pin is configured to be received by the enlarged portion of the front slot and to translate along the linear portion of the front slot when the front door moves from the open position to the closed position, and wherein the rear catch pin is configured to be received by the enlarged portion of the rear slot and to translate along the linear portion of the rear slot when the rear door moves from the open position to the closed position.

13. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the front and rear catch pins has a cylindrical portion and an upper ring portion at an end of the cylindrical portion and a lower ring portion spaced from the upper ring portion, and wherein the upper and lower ring portions are configured to be positioned on opposing sides of a panel of the roof rail or the rocker panel when the catch pin is received by the front or rear slot.

14. A vehicle body and door assembly, comprising: a body having a pair of sides each having: a roof rail and a rocker panel extending opposite one another; an A pillar and a C pillar each extending between the roof rail and rocker panel in spaced relationship with one another; an access opening defined between the A pillar, the C pillar, the roof rail and the rocker panel; a pair of door assemblies each connected to one of the sides of the body, each of the door assemblies having: a front door and a rear door each moveable between open and closed positions, wherein a rearward side of the front door and a forward side of the rear door are positioned adjacent to one another and define a B pillar of the vehicle when in the closed positions; at least one latch configured to secure the front and rear doors in the closed position; at least one of the roof rail and the rocker panel defining a front slot and a rear slot; and at least one of a top and bottom of each of the front and rear doors presenting a front catch pin and a rear catch pin configured to be received by the front and rear slots when the front and rear doors are moved into the closed positions to inhibit movement of the front and rear doors out of the closed position.

15. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein the top of the front door presents the front catch pin, wherein the top of the rear door presents the rear catch pin, wherein the roof rail defines the front and rear slots, wherein the front catch pin is receivable in the front slot when the front door is in the closed position, and wherein the rear catch pin is receivable in the rear slot when the rear door is in the closed position.

16. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 14, further including a seal positioned along at least one of the rearward side of the front door and the forward side of the rear door to seal the front and rear doors relative to one another when the front and rear doors are in the closed position.

17. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein each of front and rear slots have an enlarged portion and a linear portion extending from the enlarged portion, wherein the front catch pin is configured to be received by the enlarged portion of the front slot and to translate along the linear portion of the front slot when the front door moves from the open position to the closed position, and wherein the rear catch pin is configured to be received by the enlarged portion of the rear slot and to translate along the linear portion of the rear slot when the rear door moves from the open position to the closed position.

18. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein each of the front and rear catch pins has a cylindrical portion and an upper ring portion at an end of the cylindrical portion and a lower ring portion spaced from the upper ring portion, and wherein the upper and lower ringportions are configured to be positioned on opposing sides of a panel of the roof rail or the rocker panel when the catch pin is received by the front or rear slot.

19. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein the at least one latch includes a door to door latch with a first latch component located at the forward side of the rear door and the rearward side of the front door, and the first and second latch components of the door to door latch are selectively lockable to one another.

20. The vehicle assembly as set forth in claim 15, wherein the at least one latch further includes an A pillar latch with a first latch component located on the A pillar and a second latch component on the frontward side of the front door, and the first and second latch components of the A pillar latch are selectively lockable to one another.

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