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The trailer hitch is an accessory which has been widely applied to vehicles as a protection device for low speed rear impact, aiming the integrity of the rear fascia. Its installation is commonly made at accessories shops without the orientation of the OEM’s and its project normally does not pursue the integration with vehicle structure. Using Finite Element Method, this work has as objective to study the influence of the trailer hitch in the body structure of small hatchback passenger vehicle during rear impact.

Body in White (BIW) torsional stiffness is an important parameter for passenger vehicles, influencing its behavior regarding Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH), durability and handling. A BIW with high stiffness may impact mass and cost since it would be necessary to add reinforcements and/or increase thickness of the panels with more contribution for this parameter. An OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) may have to choose an existing platform to continue a particular vehicle family and this decision will be based on mass and costs. This work aims to study a relationship between mass and stiffness of some platforms, trying to give an auxiliary parameter to help in the OEM's decision, differentiating the stiffness of the lower (platform) and upper body.