Stellantis developing deployable tables for front seats

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

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.

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 fold. They could make their way into an electric minivan, which would make a lot of sense.

Ford may also beat Stellantis to market with this feature. A patent from the Blue Oval 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.