FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; rule 13] TITLE: “A TAILGATE ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE”
Name and Address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS PASSENGER VEHICLES LIMITED; an Indian company having a registered address at Floor 3, 4, Plot-18, Nanavati Mahalaya, Mudhana Shetty Marg, BSE, Fort, Mumbai, Mumbai City, Maharashtra, 400001, India.
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure, in general, relates to a field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively,
the present disclosure relates to a tailgate assembly for a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the
present disclosure relate to the tailgate assembly for selectively increasing boot space of the
vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, luggage/goods is transported from one location to another in vehicles including, but not limited to, cars, vans, trucks, and the like, where such vehicles for transportation are opted based on volume of luggage and/or distance to transport. In general, for passenger vehicles, goods and/or luggage are placed in a boot space or in empty passenger seats within a cabin of the vehicle for transportation. To accommodate extra luggage, in some passenger vehicles, rear seats may be folded to expand the boot space of the vehicle. Such arrangement allows only few passengers to be seated in the vehicle.
Often, when the vehicles are filled with passengers to maximum capacity, luggage/goods to be carried in the boot space may also increase. Further, most of the luggage involves different sized bags, suitcases and the like, which may require additional space when arranged in the boot space due to variation in size. Conventionally, in situations like the one mentioned above, the user of the vehicle tends to fill the luggage forcibly in the boot space and the tailgate covering the boot space is forcibly closed. In such cases, the tailgate and/or the luggage may be damaged during transportation. Further, the user may be required to reduce the luggage when the boot space is not enough, which is not desirable.
Some of the existing vehicles are incorporated with a detachable rear module that may be attached to the rear side of the vehicle to increase the boot space and carry additional luggage. Such rear module arrangement requires disassembly of some of the in-built components of the rear side of the vehicle which may be assembled by a user/driver upon fastening of the rear module. Such configuration may require manual effort from the user/driver and may be cumbersome to assemble and disassemble the rear module to the vehicle.
The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the conventional mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a method and a system as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the method and the system as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure a tailgate assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The tailgate assembly comprises a tailgate, an extendable portion and a mechanism. The extendable portion is connectable to the tailgate. The mechanism is connected to the tailgate and the extendable portion and is configured to selectively allow displacement of the extendable portion relative to the tailgate. The mechanism comprises at least one hinge, at least one plate, and at least one follower. The at least one hinge is connected to the tailgate on one end and connected to the extendable portion on an other end. The at least one plate is connected to the extendable portion and is defined with a plurality of slots and configured to displace along with the extendable portion. The at least one follower is pivotably connected on one end to a portion of the tailgate and is configured to engage and slide in the plurality of slots of the at least one plate to selectively lock the extendable portion. The mechanism allows selective displacement of the extendable portion between a first position and a second position to increase a boot space of the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the at least one hinge is collapsed when the extendable portion moves to the first position.
In an embodiment, the at least one hinge expands when the extendable portion moves to the second position.
In an embodiment, the at least one hinge is defined with at least one joint to compress and expand to allow displacement of the extendable portion relative to the tailgate.
In an embodiment, each slot of the plurality of slots of the at least one plate is defined with a curved section to accommodate and allow sliding movement of the at least one follower.

In an embodiment, the tailgate assembly comprises at least one biasing member connected to the tailgate on one end and connected to an other end of the at least one follower configured to pivot the at least one follower during sliding in the plurality of slots.
In an embodiment, the at least one follower is configured to slide along a top surface of the at least one plate and the extendable portion moves from the second position to the first position.
In an embodiment, the tailgate assembly comprises a flexible member attached between the tailgate and the extendable portion for ingress protection.
In an embodiment, the tailgate assembly comprises at least one resilient member connected between the tailgate and the extendable portion to aid displacement of the extendable portion between the first position and the second position.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Figure 1a illustrates an isometric view of a tailgate assembly for a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 1b illustrates an isometric view of the tailgate assembly connected to the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 2a illustrates a side sectional view of the tailgate assembly depicting a first position of an extendable portion, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2b illustrates a side sectional view of the tailgate assembly depicting a second position of the extendable portion, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3a illustrates a side view of the vehicle depicting the first position of the extendable portion, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3b illustrates a side view of the vehicle depicting the second position of the extendable portion, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 4 illustrates a front view of the tailgate assembly with positions of components of a mechanism of the tailgate assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the embodiments in the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, assembly, mechanism, that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a tailgate assembly for a vehicle. The tailgate assembly comprises a tailgate, an extendable portion of the tailgate and a mechanism for operation of the tailgate. The extendable portion is connectable to the tailgate. The mechanism

is connected to the tailgate and the extendable portion and is configured to selectively allow displacement of the extendable portion relative to the tailgate. The mechanism comprises at least one hinge, at least one plate, and at least one follower. The at least one hinge is connected to the tailgate on one end and connected to the extendable portion on an other end. The at least one plate is connected to the extendable portion and is defined with a plurality of slots and configured to displace along with the extendable portion. The at least one follower is pivotably connected on one end to a portion of the tailgate and is configured to engage and slide in the plurality of slots of the at least one plate to selectively lock the extendable portion. The mechanism allows selective displacement of the extendable portion between a first position and a second position to increase a boot space of the vehicle. With such configuration, the tailgate assembly may reduce or eliminate damage to the tailgate of the vehicle due to cramming of luggage in the boot space. Further, the tailgate assembly may eliminate inconvenience associated with arrangement of odd-shaped luggage in the boot space of the vehicle by selectively increasing the boot space.
The disclosure is described in the following paragraphs with reference to Figures 1a to 4. In the figures, the same element or elements which have same functions are indicated by the same reference signs. It is to be noted that, the vehicle is not illustrated in the figures for the purpose of simplicity. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the assembly as disclosed in the present disclosure may be used in any vehicle including but not liming to light commercial vehicles, load carrying vehicles, passenger vehicles, and the like. The system and the method of the present disclosure may also be implemented in vehicles having boot space to carry additional luggage without deviating from the principles of the present disclosure.
Figure 1a and Figure 1b refer to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrate a tailgate assembly (100) for a vehicle (300). The tailgate assembly (100) includes a tailgate (1), an extendable portion (2) defined to the tailgate (1) and a mechanism (200) to operate the extendable portion (2) of the tailgate (1). The tailgate (1) may be pivotally connectable to a portion of a body (4) of the vehicle (300), where a boot space is defined between the tailgate (1) and the body (4) of the vehicle (300). In an embodiment, the tailgate (1) may include a provision for a rear windshield (5), where the tailgate (1) may be pivotally displaced along with the rear windshield (5) for opening and closing the boot space as can be seen in Figure 1b. Further, the tailgate (1) may be pivotally connected to a portion of the vehicle (300) below the rear windshield (5), where the rear windshield (5) may be integrated to the

body (4) of the vehicle (300) and the tailgate (1) may be displaced independent of the rear windshield (5). The tailgate (1) may be pivotally displaced about a tailgate hinge (6) connected at top of the rear portion or below the rear windshield (5) of the vehicle (300) for opening and closing the boot space as can be seen in Figure 1b. The extended portion may be connectable to the tailgate (1) of the vehicle (300) and may be profiled to resemble a trunk cover of the vehicle (300) configured to cover at least a portion of the boot space of the vehicle (300). In an embodiment, the extendable portion (2) may be connectable to the tailgate (1) beneath the rear windshield (5) of the vehicle (300) as can be seen in Figure 1a. The extendable portion (2) may be defined from a bottom portion of the tailgate (1) above the rear windshield (5) and may be defined with a provision to house the rear windshield (5) to expand the boot space by displacing along with the rear windshield (5).
Referring now to Figures 2a and 2b, the tailgate assembly (100) includes a mechanism (200) connected to the tailgate (1) and the extendable portion (2). The mechanism (200) may allow selective displacement of the extendable portion (2) relative to the tailgate (1) between a first position and a second position. The mechanism (200) may include at least one hinge (201), at least one plate (202) and at least one follower (204). The at least one hinge (201) may be connected to the tailgate (1) on one end and may be connected to the extendable portion (2) on an other end opposite to the one end being connected to the tailgate (1). The at least one hinge (201) may be collapsed when the extendable portion (2) is displaced to the first position and may be expanded when the extendable portion (2) is displaced to the second position. In an embodiment, the at least one hinge (201) may include at least one joint to allow compression and expansion of the at least one hinge (201) in the first position and the second position. In the illustrative embodiment, the at least one hinge (201) is depicted with three joints such as a first joint (201’), a second joint (201’’) and a third joint (201’’’) to allow compression of the at least one hinge (201) about the second joint (201’’) as clearly seen in Figure 2a. The number of joints of the at least one hinge (201) may be increased or decreased based on requirement and the same shall not be considered a limitation.
Further, the at least one plate (202) may be defined with a first end (202’) and a second end (202’’), where the first end (202’) may be connected to the extendable portion (2) and the at least one plate (202) may be defined with a plurality of slots (203) between the first end (202’) and the second end (202’’). The at least one plate (202) may be configured to displace along with the extendable portion (2) relative to the tailgate (1). In an embodiment, the at least one

plate (202) may include a ratchet. In the illustrative embodiment, the at least one plate (202) is illustrated as a linear ratchet as can be seen in Figure 2a and Figure 2b and the same shall not be considered a limitation. In an embodiment, each slot of the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202) may be defined with a curved section to accommodate and allow sliding movement of the at least one follower (204) based on the displacement of the extendable portion (2) as best seen in Figure 2b. The at least one plate (202) may be defined with a top portion and a bottom portion where, the bottom portion may be defined with the plurality of slots (203) and the top portion may be defined with a plane section to allow movement of the at least one follower (204) along the bottom portion and the top portion based on displacement of the extendable portion (2).
Referring again to Figure 2b, the plurality of slots (203) may form an alternate sequence of crests and troughs defined by curved sections of the plurality of slots (203) to guide the at least one follower (204), where the troughs may accommodate the at least one follower (204) and the crests may guide the at least one follower (204) from a trough of one slot to another trough of the another slot of the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202). The at least one follower (204) may be pivotably connected to a portion of the tailgate (1) on one end and may be configured to engage and slide in the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202) to selectively lock the extendable portion (2). The at least one follower (204) may be defined with an engaging end and a fixed end, where the fixed end may be pivotably connected to the tailgate (1) and the engaging end may pivot about the fixed end based on displacement of the extendable portion (2). In an embodiment, the engaging end of at least one follower (204) may be accommodated in the first end (202’) of the at least one plate (202) and may slide towards the second end (202’’) of the at least one plate (202) through the plurality of slots (203). The at least one follower (204) may be configured to slide along the plane section of the top portion when the expandable portion may be displaced from the second position to the first position. The at least one follower (204) may slide along the plurality of slots (203) of the bottom portion while the extendable portion (2) may be displaced from the first position to the second position. The at least one follower (204) and the at least one plate (202) may selectively lock the extending portion while displacing between the first position to the second position. In an embodiment, the mechanism (200) may include at least one biasing member (205) connected to the tailgate (1) and the engaging end of the at least one follower (204) configured to bias the at least one follower (204) about the fixed end. The at least one biasing member (205) may include a spring and the same shall not be considered a limitation. The at least one biasing

member (205) may expand when the engaging end of the at least one follower (204) may be sliding along the crests of the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202). The at least one biasing member (205) may compress and retract the engaging end into the troughs of the plurality of slots (203) upon crossing the crests of the plurality of slots (203) for locking. Thus, the at least one biasing member (205) may periodically expand and compress while the at least one follower (204) slides from the first end (202’) to the second end (202’’) of the at least one plate (202). The at least one follower (204) may bias the engaging end of the at least one follower (204) towards the plane section of the at least one plate (202) when the engaging end reaches the second end (202’’) of the at least one plate (202) to unlock the extendable portion (2) and allow displacement to of the extendable portion (2) to the first position. The engaging end of the at least one follower (204) may slide along the plane section of the at least one plate (202) while the extendable portion (2) displaces from the second position to the first position.
Referring again to Figures 2a and 2b, the at least one plate (202) and the at least one follower (204) may lock the extendable portion (2) upon engagement of the engaging end of the at least one follower (204) within a slot of the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202) due to displacement from the first position and may not allow displacement back to the first position upon locking. The extendable portion (2) may be extended away from the tailgate (1) to the second position up to a first predetermined length to expand the boot space of the vehicle (300) and may be locked by the at least one follower (204) and the at least one plate (202) upon extending to the first length as can be seen in Figure 3b. In an embodiment, the first predetermined length may correspond to length of the at least one plate (202) from the first end (202’) to a slot proximal to the second end (202’’) of the at least one plate (202). The extendable portion (2) may be extended to a second length beyond the first length to allow sliding of the engaging end of the at least one follower (204) from the slot proximal to the second end (202’’) to the plane section defined at the top portion of the at least one plate (202) to unlock the extendable portion (2). The extendable portion (2) may be displaced toward the tailgate (1) from the second position to the first position upon unlocking by the at least one follower (204) and the at least one plate (202). In an embodiment, the extendable portion (2) may be displaced by a user/driver by at least one handle (7) connected to a portion of the extendable portion (2) to the first position and the second position as can be seen in Figures 1a and 1b.
Referring again to Figures 2a and 2b, the mechanism (200) may include at least one resilient member (206) connected between the tailgate (1) and the extendable portion (2) to aid

displacement of the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position. The at least one resilient member (206) may compress and expand based on the displacement of the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position. In the illustrative embodiment, the at least one resilient member (206) may expand when the extendable portion (2) displaces from the first position to the second position as best seen in Figure 2b. The at least one resilient member (206) may compress when the extendable portion
(2) may displace from the second position to the first position to reduce effort required from
the user/driver to displace the extendable portion (2) as can be seen in Figure 2a.
Referring again to Figures 1a and 1b, the tailgate assembly (100) may include a flexible member (3) connected to the extendable portion (2) and the tailgate (1). The flexible member
(3) may be defined along circumference of the extendable portion (2) and may be configured
to expand when the extendable portion (2) displaces from the first position to the second
position as best seen in Figure 1a and Figure 2b and may collapse when the extendable portion
(2) displaces from the second position to the first position for ingress protection of the boot space of the vehicle (300) as can be seen in Figure 2a. In an embodiment, the flexible member
(3) may be made of a vinyl fabric for suitably expanding and collapsing based on displacement of the extendable portion (2) and the same shall not be considered a limitation. In an embodiment, the flexible member (3) may include other flexible materials capable of expanding and collapsing based on displacement of the extendable portion (2).
Referring now to Figure 4, the mechanism (200) is depicted with a plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d), a plurality of plates (202a, 202b, 202c, 202d), a plurality of followers and a plurality of resilient members (206a, 206b, 206c, 206d) disposed across circumference of the extendable portion (2) and connected to the tailgate (1) to allow displacement of the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position. For sake of explanation, the number of the plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d), the plurality of plates (202a, 202b, 202c, 202d), the plurality of followers and the plurality of resilient members (206a, 206b, 206c, 206d) is illustrated as four and the same shall not be considered a limitation. The plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d) may include at least four hinges such as a first hinge (201a), a second hinge (201b), a third hinge (201c) and a fourth hinge (201d). The first hinge (201a) and the third hinge (201c) may be connected along a top edge of the extendable portion (2) defined proximal to the rear windshield (5) and where the second hinge (201b) and the fourth hinge (201d) may be connected along a right side and a left side defined proximal to tail lights

of the vehicle (300). In an embodiment, the plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d) may restrict displacement of the extendable portion (2) to a longitudinal direction relative to the tailgate (1) and defined along length of the vehicle (300). The plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d) may be configured to support the extendable portion (2) against gravity and inertial load of the luggage stored in the boot space defined by the extendable portion (2) and the tailgate (1). In an embodiment, the extendable portion (2) may be connected to the plurality of plates (202a, 202b, 202c, 202d) and a corresponding plurality of followers may be connected to the tailgate (1). The plurality of plates (202a, 202b, 202c, 202d) may include at least four plates such as a first plate (202a), a second plate (202b), a third plate (202c) and a fourth plate (202d). The plurality of followers may include at least four followers such as a first follower, a second follower, a third follower and a fourth follower. In an embodiment, the first plate (202a) and the second plate (202b) may be disposed along the left edge of the extendable portion (2) and correspondingly the first follower and the second follower may disposed on the left side of the tailgate (1). The third plate (202c) and the fourth plate (202d) may be disposed on the right side of the extendable portion (2) and correspondingly the third follower and the fourth follower may be disposed on the right side of the tailgate (1). The tailgate assembly (100) may include a plurality of resilient members (206a, 206b, 206c, 206d) such as a first resilient member (206a), a second resilient member (206b), a third resilient member (206c) and a fourth resilient member (206d) disposed along corners of the extendable portion (2). In an embodiment, the plurality of hinges (201a, 201b, 201c, 201d), the plurality of plates (202a, 202b, 202c, 202d), the plurality of followers and the plurality of resilient members (206a, 206b, 206c, 206d) allow displacement of the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position.
In an embodiment, the tailgate assembly (100) may include multiple extendable portions connected to the tailgate (1) to allow selective expansion of the boot space by displacing individual extendable portions.
In an embodiment, the tailgate assembly (100) may include a plurality of actuators instead of the at least one plate (202) and the at least one follower (204) to displace the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position. The plurality of actuators may include electric actuators, hydraulic actuators and the like and may be communicatively coupled to a control unit to selectively displace the extendable portion (2) to increase the boot space of the vehicle (300).

In an embodiment, the flexible member (3) may be defined with a plurality of indications indicating the first length and the second length to lock and unlock the extendable portion (2) from the second position.
EQUIVALENTS
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C

alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
Referral Numeral:

Component Referral numeral
Tailgate assembly 100
Tailgate 1
Extendable portion 2
Flexible member 3
Body 4
Mechanism 200
at least one hinge 201
First joint 201’
Second joint 201’’
Third joint 201’’’
First hinge 201a
Second hinge 201b
Third hinge 201c
Fourth hinge 201d
at least one plate 202

First end 202’
Second end 202’’
First plate 202a
Second plate 202b
Third plate 202c
Fourth plate 202d
plurality of slots 203
at least one follower 204
at least one biasing member 205
at least one resilient member 206
First resilient member 206a
Second resilient member 206b
Third resilient member 206c
Fourth resilient member 206d
Vehicle 300
Rear windshield 5
Tailgate hinge 6
At least one handle 7

We claim:
1. A tailgate assembly (100) for a vehicle (300), the assembly (100) comprising:
a tailgate (1);
an extendable portion (2) connectable to the tailgate (1); a mechanism (200) connected to the tailgate (1) and the extendable portion (2), wherein the mechanism (200) is configured to selectively allow displacement of the extendable portion (2) relative to the tailgate (1), wherein the mechanism (200) comprises:
at least one hinge (201) connected to the tailgate (1) on one end and connected to the extendable portion (2) on an other end;
at least one plate (202) connected to the extendable portion (2), wherein the at least one plate (202) defined with a plurality of slots (203) and configured to displace along with the extendable portion (2);
at least one follower (204) pivotably connected on one end to a portion of
the tailgate (1) and configured to engage and slide in the plurality of slots (203)
of the at least one plate (202) to selectively lock the extendable portion (2); and
wherein the mechanism (200) allows selective displacement of the
extendable portion (2) between a first position and a second position to
increase a boot space of the vehicle (300).
2. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one hinge (201) is collapsed when the extendable portion (2) moves to the first position.
3. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one hinge (201) expands when the extendable portion (2) moves to the second position.
4. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one hinge (201) is defined with at least one joint to compress and expand to allow displacement of the extendable portion (2) relative to the tailgate (1).
5. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each slot of the plurality of slots (203) of the at least one plate (202) is defined with a curved section to accommodate and allow sliding movement of the at least one follower (204).
6. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mechanism (200) comprises at least one biasing member (205) connected to the tailgate (1) on one end

and connected to an other end of the at least one follower (204) configured to pivot the at least one follower (204) during sliding in the plurality of slots (203).
7. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one follower (204) is configured to slide along a top surface of the at least one plate (202) and the extendable portion (2) moves from the second position to the first position.
8. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tailgate assembly (100) comprises a flexible member (3) attached between the tailgate (1) and the extendable portion (2) for ingress protection.
9. The tailgate assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tailgate assembly (100) comprises at least one resilient member (206) connected between the tailgate (1) and the extendable portion (2) to aid displacement of the extendable portion (2) between the first position and the second position.