GCH Automotive has expanded its selection of aftermarket power lift gate openers to 215 solutions, citing growing demand due to car makers’ deleting the option.
Auto makers including Toyota, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, and Honda have deleted power lift gate (rear hatches) to conserve on chips during continued shortages, said GCH Founder Greg Delgado. This year, General Motors also deleted the feature as a standard option in its 2022-23 Chevy Suburban, Yukon and Tahoe.
In response, GCH recently added new aftermarket rear hatch mechanisms for the above 2022-2023 GM SUVs.
Even though chip shortages have begun to resolve, the effects are lasting, said Delgado. “Auto manufacturers are not going to be able to turn a corner and find a new supplier in 30 days. They have to make sure the company is financially sound…there’s so much pre-qualification in the process that it could take a year before they even sit down at the negotiation table.”
Specifically, the Kia Carnival SV does not offer a power rear hatch for model years 2022-2023. The Volkswagen Tiguan/Taos and Atlas removed this option. Mazda removed the option for the CX5 and CX30 for the 2022-2023 model year and Toyota does not offer a a power rear hatch upgrade for the popular 4Runner, said Delgado.
He encouraged retailers to take advantage of these niche opportunities. (See also article here). “The 12 volt retailer has to step out of their comfort zone. They have to because the market is clearly showing opportunities in specialty categories. They have to be able to get outside their bubbles…” He noted, if a dealer is working on a new Chevy Suburban, “Why not push the button on the remote and see if the rear trunk opens? If it doesn’t, then you offer that to them too.”
Along these lines, GCH is also developing new specialty applications including rear window wipers for vehicles that do not offer the feature. For example, the new Ioniq5 omitted rear wipers.
GCH power rear hatch mechanisms include:
- Front dash mounted button for open and close
- Rear mounted button for open and close
- Full integration into factory keyfob/remote (even if trunk button is not present)
- Optional foot wave sensor for foot control
The standalone foot wave sensor may be used even if the vehicle does not have a power rear hatch already, Delgado said.
