Patent ID: 7152914

Claim:
A vehicle body comprising: a center pillar structure including a bodyside outer panel having a center pillar portion at least partially defining a front door opening and a rear door opening, a center pillar outer reinforcement operatively connected to the center pillar portion and having an outer wall, a first sidewall extending inboard from the outer wall, and a second sidewall extending inboard from the outer wall, wherein the outer wall and first and second sidewalls define a channel, a first channel reinforcement located inside the channel and rigidly interconnecting the first sidewall and the outer wall, and a second channel reinforcement located inside the channel and rigidly interconnecting the second sidewall and the outer wall; a door assembly defining a window opening characterized by a lower extent; and at least one hinge operatively interconnecting the door assembly and the center pillar structure; wherein said first and second channel reinforcement extend above and below the lower extent of the window opening.