Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Ulan M Thompson

Daniel JF Cressman

Methods, systems, and apparatus for a vehicle aerodynamic system include an air dam adapted to be mounted adjacent a front bumper of a vehicle. The air dam can be moveable between a stowed position (e.g., when the vehicle is operating at higher speeds) and a deployed position (e.g., when the vehicle is operating at lower speeds). The air dam includes an air dam panel moveable between the stowed position and a step position. In the step position, the air dam panel is configured as a step for a user to access a front vehicle compartment. The aerodynamic system can include an actuator configured to move the air dam panel relative to the front bumper. The aerodynamic system can further include a controller in electronic communication with a front hood position sensor that is configured to automatically deploy the step based upon a position of the front hood.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

Ulan M Thompson