Abstract: A hinge mechanism for assisting the lifting of a trunk lid of a vehicle comprises a V-shaped leaf spring (12) mounted on a first hinge part (2) attached to the vehicle body, and a roller element (32) mounted on a second hinge part (4) attached to the lid. A compressible gas strut (38) may be connected directly between the lid and the body; alternatively the strut may be connected between the first and second hinge parts, (2, 4) so that the resulting sub-assembly can be mounted directly to the lid and body on the vehicle assembly line. The hinge mechanism assists in initially lifting the trunk lid so that the gas strut (38) is disposed in an advantageous leveraged position at which it can continue the lifting movement of the trunk lid.