Door
Doors or openings in the cargo area can be hinged at the top, side or bottom.
If a door is hinged at the bottom, it's called a tailgate, especially in the US. They are used in station wagons and pickup trucks, as well as some sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Traditional drop-down station wagons and pickup truck tailgates also work as bench supports.
Traditional American station wagons include a roll-down window that retracts into the tailgate to load small items or to allow the tailgate to open down on its bottom-mounted hinges. Due to the potential for carbon monoxide fumes, the tailgate on a station wagon should be closed as long as the engine is running.
Two-way wagon tailgates can be hinged on the sides and bottom, so they can open sideways like regular doors, or drop down as a load platform extender. They are designed with special handles for opening in a selected direction on special hinges after the window is lowered.
Ford also uses a three-way design that allows the tailgate to open like a window.
General Motors developed a clamshell "disappearance" design in which the rear window rolls into the roof and the tailgate slides down and under the cargo floor.
If the door is hinged at the top, it is called a hatch and is used in hatchbacks. Bottom doors are now common on SUVs.
