Magna develops Comfort+ door latch to improve door quality and cabin quietness

For automakers, two key customer satisfaction considerations are the feel of a car’s door when opening and closing, and the quietness of the cabin. Magna recently developed the Comfort+TM door latch to address both concerns and has secured its first production contract to supply the new type of latch to a European automaker.

  • Reduces effort needed to open and close a car door by 40-60 percent
  •  Allows increased sealing to create a quieter cabin – a key factor in driver satisfaction ratings
  •  Will enter the market on future models with a European automaker

Comfort+ turns sliding friction into rolling friction within the mechanics of the door latch, which significantly reduces the efforts required to open and close a car door and results in a smooth, consistent feel. Compared to traditional latches, opening efforts are reduced by an average of 40 to 60 percent, dramatically improving the consumer experience when entering and exiting a vehicle.

The “plus” in Comfort+: the reduced opening and closing efforts allow automakers to increase sealing around the door, which helps create a quieter cabin.

Performance is also improved with the Comfort+ latch. After 100,000 door slams, traditional door latches typically require more effort to open – on average up to 35 percent more than when new. After more than 1 million slams in testing by engineers at Magna, the Comfort+ latch maintained a consistent level of performance.

Image: The Comfort+ door latch from Magna uses rolling friction to significantly reduce the amount of effort it takes to open and close a car door.



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