Modular assembly for vehicle body

A modular assembly for separating a passenger compartment from an engine compartment between side pillars in an automotive vehicle body comprising:

• three structural cross car members that combine to provide an upper cross car beam with sufficient cross car stiffness when attached between the side pillars of an automotive vehicle body so as to eliminate any need for another cross car beam at the cowl of the vehicle body,
• the three structural cross car members including a front of dash panel, an intermediate panel and an instrument panel carrier that form two vertical rows of horizontal ducts,
• the instrument panel carrier having several longitudinal ribs that project from one side for partially forming one of the two vertical rows of horizontal ducts, and
• the intermediate panel being a close out panel that is attached to the instrument panel carrier for closing the ducts in the one row and that has rearward facing conformations that engage the ribs of the instrument panel carrier for this purpose.

A modular assembly for separating a passenger compartment from an engine compartment in an automotive vehicle body comprising:

• an instrument panel subassembly that includes a shell, an underlying foam cushion and an instrument panel carrier,
• the modular assembly further comprising a front of dash panel and a close out panel,
• the instrument panel carrier, the front of dash panel and the close out panel being attached to each other to form two sets of horizontal ducts on opposite sides of the close out panel, and
• the instrument panel carrier, the front of dash panel and the close out panel being combined to provide an upper cross car beam with sufficient cross car stiffness when attached to the side pillars of a vehicle body so as to eliminate any need for another upper cross car beam at the cowl of the vehicle body.