Stellantis could soon make the drive-through experience a little less complicated with folding tables for a driver and a front passenger.
These tables are the subject of a patent application filed by Stellantis with 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 rails 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 a left-handed passenger.
Stellantis has a history of folding vehicle furniture—or rather, its U.S. component did. Before being merged into FCA and then Stellantis, Chrysler introduced a second-row table as part of the Swivel ‘n Go seating system in its minivans. The middle-row seats turn to face the third rowwith the table between them. This feature was not repeated in the current generation Chrysler Pacifica.
Stellantis Front Seat Table Patent Image
If the front seat tables reach production, it’s hard to say whether they’ll appear in a vehicle sold by Chrysler – which has become a lost brand selling just the venerable Pacifica — or one of the many other brands in the Stellantis firmament. They could get into an electric minivan, that would make a lot of sense.
Ford could also beat Stellantis to market with this feature. A patent from that automaker for a center console with fold-out tables appeared earlier this year. Ford also tried to patent a mobile table in the vehicle for second row passengers.
