Integral body and frame arrangement for an automobile

An integral body and frame arrangement for a vehicle comprising a plurality of hollow pressed sheet metal supporting parts assembled into an integrated unit by at least one joining technique including:

• at least two U frames positioned one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with base parts of the U frames located in a floor region or a roof region of the vehicle body and opposed leg parts of the U frames extending from the base parts into engagement with substantially vertical sidewall columns of the vehicle adjacent to the vehicle roof region or floor region;
• and
• the leg parts of the U frames being joined to each other either directly or through a flat sidewall part attached to the U frames, wherein one U frame forms a continuous support comprising a rear vehicle cross member and an angle section which is a pressed sheet metal part connected directly into a vehicle sidewall column to join the rear vehicle cross member to the vertical sidewall column.