Track arrangement for vehicle sliding door

A motor vehicle comprising:

• a body including a side having a door opening;
• a sliding door having an upper edge, a lower edge and an inner side;
• an arrangement for mounting said sliding door to a said body so that said sliding door is movable between a fully open position in which said sliding door is oriented substantially parallel to said side of said body and a closed position in which said sliding door closes said door opening in said side, the arrangement comprising:
• a track mounted longitudinally on said inner side of said sliding door, said track mounted intermediate to said upper and lower edges of said sliding door;
• a carriage support arrangement carried by said sliding door and in slidable communication with said track;
• and
• a swing arm including a first end attached to said carriage support arrangement for pivotal movement about a first axis and a second end attached to said body for pivotal movement about a second axis, said swing arm adapted for rotation about said second axis between first and second positions whereat said first position said sliding door is in said closed position and said first pivot axis is located fore of said second pivot axis and whereat said second position said sliding door is in an intermediate position fore of said fully open position and said first pivot axis is located aft of said second pivot axis.

An arrangement for mounting a sliding door to a vehicle body in combination with the vehicle body, the vehicle body having a side with a door opening, the arrangement comprising:

• a track mounted longitudinally on an inner side of the sliding door, said track mounted intermediate to an upper and a lower edge of the sliding door;
• a carriage support arrangement carried by the sliding door and in slidable communication with said track;
• and
• a swing arm including a first end attached to said carriage support arrangement for pivotal movement about a first axis and a second end attached to said vehicle body for pivotal movement about a second axis;
• said arrangement operative in a door closed mode in which the sliding door is in a closed position closing the door opening and said first axis is located fore of said second axis;
• said arrangement operative in a door fully open mode in which the sliding door is in a fully open position longitudinally displaced from the door opening and said first axis is located aft of said second axis.