Front end assembly for an automotive vehicle

Abstract

A front end assembly (10) is provided for attaching components to a front end (16) of an automobile chassis (18) which eliminates the duplication of structure between a conventional grille opening reinforcement and grille, and incorporates several front end components into an integrated structure. The front end assembly (10) includes a stabilizer bar (12) adapted for attachment to the chassis front end (16), and a grille system (14) adapted for attachment to the chassis front end (16) and the stabilizer bar (12). Preferably, the area occupied by the stabilizer bar (12) on the chassis front end (16) is substantially less than the area occupied by the grille system (14), such that structure is not duplicated between the stabilizer bar (12) and the grille system (14). The grille system (14) has a grille (20) mounted therein, lamp canisters (22) defined on either end (24) thereof, and lamps (26, 28) mounted within the lamp canisters (22). Therefore, the grille system (14) allows several components to be attached to the chassis front end (16) as one integrated unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.