Flush to flexible door handle assembly for a motor vehicle

A door handle assembly, comprising:

• a housing having an opening, a bottom surface opposite the opening, and sides extending from the opening to the bottom surface so as to define a channel, having a depth, between the bottom surface and a top surface of the opening, the housing configured to be mounted to a door of a motor vehicle with the top surface of the housing at least approximately flush with or proud of a surface of the door,
• a flexible strip disposed in the channel, the flexible strip having a thickness corresponding to the depth of the channel such that, in a relaxed state of the flexible strip, a surface of the flexible strip exposed at the opening of the housing is at least approximately flush with the top surface of the opening,
• at least one actuator guide disposed in the channel and secured to at least one end of the flexible strip, and
• an actuator having a deactivated state and an activated state, the actuator configured in the deactivated state to locate the at least one actuator guide within the channel so as to allow the flexible strip to lie in the channel in the relaxed state, the actuator responsive to an activation signal to move the at least one actuator guide within the channel so as to cause the flexible strip to bow outwardly away from the housing to define a grip pocket between the housing and the flexible strip.