BMW Designs New Retractable Table

The automotive world is making huge advances in all sorts of technologies as we transition towards full-scale electrification and autonomous driving, but there are other aspects of the motoring sphere that are continually being reconsidered and reinvented.

We've seen Volkswagen patent anew design for doorswhile Mercedes has found anew way to control your infotainment. BMW has also been reinventing things that seem perfectly fit for purpose, most recently finding a new way of addressing in-car storage with a conceptused in a kids' toy. Now the Bavarian automaker has found another way of changing storage solutions with a retractable table that doubles as a map pocket.

Patent filings uncovered byCarrBuzzreveal diagrams of an E9XBMW 3 Seriesshowcasing a new sort of map pocket where the netting is replaced by a foldable surface that can extend from the base of its rails, up and outwards. This would allow the rear passenger to easily stow and retrieve a folding table that could extend as far forward or backward as you would like.

The flexible design is similar to that seen on old filing cabinets, credenzas, and roller shutter doors, but it is not without its drawbacks. For one thing, the rollers would surely be difficult to keep clean and would likely scratch or otherwise damage any items that you may have stored in the pocket before "closing" the table.