Vehicle Door - General Design

General Design

Unlike other types of doors, the exterior side of the vehicle door contrasts sharply from its interior side (the interior side is also known as the car door panel): The exterior side of the door is designed of steel like the rest of the vehicle's exterior. In addition, its accoutrements of color and detail are intended to match with the rest of the vehicle's exterior, the central purpose being to add to the overall aesthetic appeal of the outer body.

On the other hand, the vehicle door's interior side is typically made up of a variety of materials, sometimes vinyl and leather, other times cloth and fabric. Because the car door panel is typically intended to match the rest of the styles used in the car's interior, the choice of cover materials depends on the rest of the styles used in the vehicle's inner body like the dashboard, carpet, seats, etc. However, unlike the accoutrements used on the exterior side of the vehicle door, the accoutrements on the interior side serve a greater purpose other than just aesthetic appeals. While true that the accoutrements that make up the interior side are intended to match their surroundings and contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal, there's an additional purpose of coziness and comfort. This is to say, a car door panel has interior parts that contribute to the overall functionality and ergonomics of the ride, such as: armrests; various switches; lights; electronic systems like the window controls and locking mechanism; etc.

A vehicle typically has two types of doors: front doors and rear doors. Loosely related are: vehicle hoods and vehicle trunk lids. In Europe, there's also a door known as a "Hatch" (see “Door categorization” below)