AUTOMATIC POWER DOOR OPENING ON SUSTAINED PRESENCE

A power door system for a vehicle including a plurality of power-operated doors is provided. The system includes a passive remote entry device configured to emit a signal to one or more cooperating vehicle receivers and a controller configured to cause the power door system to open the at least one power-operated door when the passive remote entry device signal is received and an individual is detected in a predefined activation zone for a predetermined period of time. The system further includes a vehicle-mounted user detection device. The passive remote entry device may be selected from thegroup consisting of a key fob, a smart key, a key card, a cellular telephone or smartphone configured with a phone-as-a-key function, a Bluetooth registered trademark-activated and vehicle-recognizedcellular telephone, a Bluetooth registered trademark-activated and vehicle-recognized smartphone, and a Bluetooth registered trademark-activated and vehicle-recognized smartwatch. Methods for controlling a power door system fo