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Future Ford Vehicles May Get Center Console With Deployable Tray

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a center console with a deployable tray that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on December 13th, 2022, published on September 2nd, 2025, and assigned serial number 12403808.

A Ford patent for a center console with a deployment tray.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has explored several different types of potential new interior features in recent months, publishing patents for ideas such as a console with a movable table, a deployable tray system, and a steering wheel deployable tray. Now, with center consoles getting a lot of attention in recent years, The Blue Oval has published a patent for a center console with a deployable tray that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

In this case, Ford envisions a center console that can serve many different purposes, aside from simply serving as an armrest and a place to store various things. In this case, that includes integrating a tray into the center console that could be stowed away when it isn’t needed, and then deployed when it is. When deployed, the tray would fold out on both the driver and passenger sides, giving the front occupants a place to set drinks, food, electronic devices like laptops or tablets, or even old fashioned notebooks. Though Ford already offers something similar via its Interior Work Surface, this design could work without having to stash the shifter away, too.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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