The last few years has seen quite a few interesting developments in how people store and access cargo. All three of the major American automakers now offer multi-function tailgates that can open in unique ways. Rivian has introduced its cargo tunnel underneath the bed and behind the cabin. Plus, GM has brought back its midgate bed extender on its electric trucks, having not been seen since the Chevy Avalanche was on sale.
In the near future, though, Nissan may introduce its own take on the mid-gate, since it just keeps pumping out patents related to the idea.
Nissan mid-gate folding seat patent drawings showing how the seats foldNissan / U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Nissan’s Patents Are Many, And Increasingly More Detailed
CarBuzz has found a total of four patents from Nissan in the last few months, all of which have to do with aspects of how a midgate would operate on one of its trucks. Three of them were published on June 25, 2026, and they show the basic idea of a midgate, how rear glass could retract into the folding part of the cab, and even some details on a latch system for those components. However, we’ll be focusing more on a patent that was published just a few days ago (US 2026/0274351).
This patent describes in a fair bit of detail how the rear seat and folding panel would work to create an extended load floor that’s level with the bed. It shows how the seat base would drop down to the floor, allowing the seat back to fold down lower than it normally would. This would then allow the folding part of the cab to flip down, and create the flat load floor, extending the bed. The patent also notes that this design could have some use in other vehicles, likely to allow for low, flat cargo areas in SUVs and hatchbacks. Honda actually uses a similar design in the HR-V for that exact purpose.
Nissan mid-gate folding seat patent drawing showing the seats folded and the bed opened upNissan / U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
What Are The Odds Of A Future Nissan Getting A Mid-gate?
At this point, it sure feels like the next Nissan Frontier will definitely have a midgate of some sort. On top of these four patents, Nissan has filed other related ones in the last few years. Even before the June 25 patents, Nissan filed a unique one describing rear seats that could flip to be rear-facing to give passengers an open-air riding experience with the use of a mid-gate. In October of last year, Nissan filed a simple patent describing the general idea of the midgate, though for something with a unibody chassis. Between the fact that GM has proven this is possible, and Nissan’s many patents, it’s hard to imagine the company not putting something into production.
The timing of all this also fits nicely with when we’ll probably see a next-generation Nissan Frontier. Nissan has been developing a new body-on-frame platform that will first show up on the Xterra, but will also underpin the Frontier and even larger SUVs. The Xterra will be the first to arrive in 2028, and it will also feature a hybrid V6. Nissan executives have previously made statements that a Frontier would show up in a similar time frame, though likely a bit after the Xterra.
2027 Nissan Frontier SportNissan
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Nissan seems to be pulling out all the stops to compete in the traditional truck and SUV space, from cargo innovations to new powertrains. That’s good, because those segments are more crowded and competitive than they have been in years, so every unique feature is critical for standing out. We also think a midgate would be a particularly practical feature, one that would be more useful than, say, a split tailgate.
Assuming it makes it to production, it should help move Frontiers and help Nissan’s turnaround be successful.
Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
