Vehicle pillar having an interior protuberance at the roof headliner

An impact energy absorbing arrangement for a vehicle interior, the vehicle including a relatively soft, energy-absorbing, roof headliner, and a pillar extending downwardly from the vehicle roof to partially define a front door opening and a rear door opening, the energy absorbing arrangement comprising:

• a molded hard-surfaced plastic interior trim panel secured to said vehicle pillar so as to face a vehicle interior space, said trim panel having an upper portion in edge contact with an exposed surface of said headliner, and a lower vertically extending portion;
• wherein the upper portion includes an impact absorbing surface, and said lower portion includes an impact absorbing surface, and the upper impact surface is inwardly offset from said lower impact surface toward an occupant of the vehicle to form an upper protuberance in the trim panel extending to the headliner as a smooth continuation of said headliner exposed surface.