US Patent 7429076 Vehicle rear body structure of automotive vehicle

In a vehicle rear body structure of an automotive vehicle, there are provided the reinforcing members that are provided at the lower face of the floor panel at portions outside the spare tire pan and form with the floor panel the closed cross sections that extend longitudinally in parallel to the rear side frames. The closed cross sections are formed with the reinforcing members and the upper end-side curve portions located outside the spare tire pan, and located substantially at the same height-level as the rear side frames. Thereby, absorption of the impact energy at the vehicle crash can be improved and an improper weight increase can be suppressed.