Patent ID: 7849601

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: providing a vehicle body structure having a set of body mating features, wherein at least one member of the set of body mating features includes: a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite the first surface, first and second joint surfaces that extend from the first surface to the second surface, the first and second joint surfaces extending substantially along first and second planes, respectively, that intersect with each other, a connecting surface extending between the first and second joint surfaces, and a channel for receiving an adhesive, the channel being disposed inside the upper mating feature between the first and second joint surfaces and spaced apart from the connecting surface; providing a set of body panels, each member of the set of body panels having a set of fixedly disposed body panel mating features, wherein all members of the set of body panel mating features have the same configuration and are integrally formed with an associated member of the set of body panels; and assembling the set of body panels to the vehicle body structure by interlocking each body panel mating feature with at least one member of the set of body mating features.