Automotive vehicle body with powered sliding side door

In combination, a motor vehicle body having a floor and a side opening;

• a sliding door;
• a sliding door mounting system supporting said sliding door on said vehicle body for sliding movement between a closed position flush with said vehicle body closing said side opening and an open position located outward of and alongside said vehicle body rearward of said side opening;
• and a power door operating system for operating and also helping guide movement of said sliding door;
• said power door operating system including a smooth drive/guide track attached to said vehicle body beneath said floor and extending along a bottom edge of said side opening in parallel relationship with the guided movement of said sliding door provided by said sliding door mounting system, a power drive mechanism extending through said side opening adjacent said bottom edge, mounting means mounting said power drive mechanism for pivotal movement on an interior side of said sliding door at a lower front corner thereof, said power drive mechanism including a reversible electric motor and a friction drive wheel powered by said reversible electric motor, and spring means forcibly pivoting said power drive mechanism relative to said sliding door to position and maintain said friction drive wheel in engagement with said smooth drive/guide track with a predetermined limited force just sufficient to maintain friction drive wheel traction for unobstructed sliding door movement, said friction drive wheel being operable with drive from said reversible electric motor to roll on said smooth drive/guide track under the force of said spring means to move and also help guide said sliding door in a stabilized condition between said open and closed positions and to slip on said smooth drive/guide track to cease sliding door movement when said sliding door encounters a physical object and said friction drive wheel then experiences a sliding door resisting force slightly exceeding the ability of said predetermined limited force to maintain traction between said friction drive wheel and said smooth drive/guide track.