Stellantis developing deployable tables for front seats

Stellantis could soon make the drive-through experience a little less complicated with fold-out tables for a driver and front passenger.

Such tables are the subject of a patent application filed by Stellantis with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in February 2023, and was published by the USPTO in August of this year.

Stellantis front-seat table patent image

According to the patent, the tables would be mounted on a system of tracks and arms that would allow them to slide into position and pivot outward. One table would be attached to each side of a vehicle’s center console, meaning it would be ideal for a right-handed driver and left-handed passenger.

Stellantis has a history of deployable vehicular furniture—or, rather, its U.S. component does. Before it was merged into FCA and then Stellantis, Chrysler released a second-row table as part of the Swivel ‘n Go seating system in its minivans. The middle-row seats would swivel to face the third row, with the table in between them. That feature was not repeated on the current-generation Chrysler Pacifica.

Stellantis front-seat table patent image

If the front-seat tables reach production, it’s hard to say if they will appear on a vehicle sold by Chrysler—which has become a stray brand selling only the venerable Pacifica—or one of the many other brands in the Stellantis firmament. They could make their way into an electric minivan, would make a lot of sense.

Ford may also beat Stellantis to market with this feature. A patent from that automaker for a center console with deployable tables appeared earlier this year. Ford has also tried to patent a movable in-vehicle table for second-row passengers.