A car salesman was stunned by an uncommon trunk design inside a Buick Cascada getting serviced at his business.
Spence (@spence_sells_cars) posted a TikTok showing off the vehicle’s trunk. Throngs of commenters had differing opinions as to why Buick opted for this peculiar aesthetic.
The dealer begins recording the vehicle in question, which appears to be cut from the same cloth as the Chrysler Sebring convertible. Spence is baffled by the Cascada’s engineering.
“So we’re back in the service bay today cause this thing really threw me for a loop,” he says.
He pans the camera to the open trunk. Strangely, another set of tail lights are hidden beneath the lid.
A text overlay reads, “Why did they do this?”
Spence continues, “What is with this trunk here? Look at that, it’s got a tail light. But it’s got a tail light under the tail light.”
“What? That’s crazy. You can’t see through that. Anyone know why they do that?” he asks as his video ends.
Everyone Is Curious About the Cascada
Spence isn’t the only person who’s been baffled by the Cascada’s decision to double up on rear taillights. Redditor @DeathbyAndy, who says they’re an ASE Certified tech, posted a picture of a Cascada to the Justrolledintotheshop Subreddit with the caption, “So we are putting tail lights in the trunk now?”
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One Redditor jokingly speculated, “Yeah, it’s the 2017 Buick Oldpeopleleavethetrunkopen.”
Someone else suggested it’s because the Cascada doesn’t come with a particularly large boot.
“Probably a law stating that your tail lights must be visible at all times, even with the trunk opened,” they continued, adding that they could easily imagine someone driving with the trunk open to cart items that don’t fit inside.
Another person who also said they were ASE certified suggested that it’s because the Cascada also comes as a convertible.
“These new Buick Cascadas can open/close the top when the vehicle is in motion, I believe up to 30 mph,” they wrote. “Since the rear deck lid comes completely up during the top motions, it has to have the second set of lights.”
Motor1 reported that the 2016 Buick Cascada convertible’s roof mechanism can deploy “quickly and easily.”
We further noted that the “second set of tail lights […] are visible when the rear section tilts back.” This was due to the high speeds at which the Cascada can deploy its convertible top: up to 31 miles per hour.
General Motors told Jalopnik that auto manufacturers often add tail lights to a portion of the car that’s not connected to the trunk, i.e. the actual body of the car. That way, when the vehicle’s trunk is popped up, the lights are visible at all times.
“Designers generally design the trunk lid to comply with safety and regulatory needs so that a portion of the taillights remain in place and attached to the fenders while the trunk is open,” the Buick representative reportedly said.
Required by Law
Many people who replied to Spence’s TikTok said that the extra tail lights were legally required.
“This design is necessary because the primary taillights on the trunk lid would be obscured when the trunk is lifted, and regulations require visible tail lights at all times,” one remarked.
Another suggested, “Hazard lights while trunk is up and you’re changing tire.”
Someone else thought it was just a case of retrofitting a pre-existing overseas model for the United States market. “Tail lights aren’t allowed on moving parts in the U.S., so that was their workaround.”
Motor1 has reached out to Spence via TikTok comment for further information. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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