News Car doorknob "flap type" restoration? Grip type is mainstream and diversified No longer "no knob"
Huh? BMW's new model with a normal flap door...
BMW iX door. A simple flap type (Image: BMW).
Speaking of car doorknobs, the mainstream is the "grip type" where you grab the bar from above and pull it. The simple "flap type," which used to be popular in Japan, where you put your hand in from the bottom and pull it up, is still used in commercial vehicles, but its use in passenger cars has decreased. [How to open] Cars without doorknobs, etc. See photos The grip type was originally seen in many European cars, and was sometimes said to be "different from Japanese cars". For this reason, many people seem to feel a sense of luxury in grip-type doors. However, BMW's new 2021 2 Series Coupe, 4 Series Gran Coupe, and its EV (electric vehicle) version, the 2022 i4, have adopted simple flap-type doorknobs one after another. Why is it now a flap type? Regarding this, BMW's product manager Itaru Iwasaki said at the i4 presentation, "By reducing the unevenness of the door panel and making it cleaner, the aerodynamic performance will also improve." Not only for BMW, the flap type can be arranged to eliminate the protruding bar and merge with the door panel, so it is used in some sports models such as the Honda NSX and S660. Furthermore, in recent years, only the rear door has a flap type. Honda's Vezel, Toyota C-HR, Suzuki's Swift, etc. have flaps that are integrated into the window frame rather than the rear door panel, and are arranged at a slightly higher position. All of these are said to accentuate the sporty coupe-like looks.
More than just safety From a grip type to a flap type
Honda Vezel. The front door is a grip type, and the rear door is a flap type embedded in the window frame (Image: Honda).
In the first place, there are many reasons why European cars were grip-type, and in Japan, there was a shift from flap-type to grip-type. For example, Volkswagen has been sticking to the grip type for over 80 years. It is easy to open by applying force to the handle, so in the unlikely event of an accident, people trapped inside the car can be rescued quickly. In addition, in cold Europe, it is said that there is also an advantage that the door can be opened easily while wearing gloves. On the other hand, safety is not the only reason that the grip type has spread in Japan. Honda previously cited the rise in taller cars and higher doorknobs as the reason. Not only is it easy for an adult to open, but even a short child can put their hand under the bar to open the door, making it easy to handle. In other words, the diversification of cars has brought about changes in the shape of doorknobs, but in recent years it has become even more diverse. For example, the type of bar embedded in the door panel that sticks out, which is seen in Tesla cars, has recently been adopted by Mercedes-Benz and others. It may be the ultimate form that emphasizes aerodynamic performance and eliminates physical unevenness. On the other hand, BMW's SUV-shaped EV iX has no flaps or bars at first glance, and you can open it by putting your hand in the recess of the door. There may be doors that have never been seen before.
Riding news editorial department