Patent ID: 7104596

Claim:
A vehicle body structure, comprising: a floor tunnel provided in a center of a width of a vehicle body and extending longitudinally of the vehicle body, wherein said floor tunnel has a substantially downward U-shaped cross section and includes right and left steps formed at right and left upper corners of the floor tunnel, and said floor tunnel further includes a front end portion; right and left floor frame members provided right and left of the floor tunnel, respectively; right and left center frame members disposed on right and left sides of the center of the vehicle body, respectively, and extending rearwardly from the floor tunnel, wherein the floor tunnel includes right and left side portions, and wherein at least one of the right and left side portions of the floor tunnel is joined to at least one of the right and left floor frame members, and a rear portion of the floor tunnel is joined to the right and left center frame members; a first crossmember disposed forwardly of the floor tunnel and extending between the right and left floor frame members, the first crossmember having a rear extension with a downwardly U-shaped cross section extending toward the floor tunnel, the downwardly U-shaped rear extension including right and left steps formed at right and left upper corners thereof; a dashboard having a tunnel portion with a downwardly U-shaped cross section fitted onto the downwardly U-shaped rear extension of the first crossmember, the tunnel portion having a rear end in abutment with a front end of the front end portion of the floor tunnel; a single reinforcing member with a downwardly U-shaped cross section, said single reinforcing member being placed on the front end portion of the floor tunnel and on the tunnel portion of the dashboard; and the front end portion of the floor tunnel, the rear extension of the first crossmember, the tunnel portion of the dashboard, and the single reinforcing member are joined together so that the right and left steps of the rear extension and the downwardly U-shaped reinforcing member cooperate to form first right and left closed-section portions extending longitudinally of the vehicle body and so that the right and left steps of the floor tunnel and the downwardly U-shaped reinforcing member cooperate to form second right and left closed-section portions extending longitudinally of the vehicle body, and wherein each of the first right and left closed-section portions and a corresponding one of the second right and left closed-section portions are continuous with one another.