MAGNA SAYS some hurdles of seat-reconfiguration system to be addressed by OEMs

Some challenges, such as reworking airbags to meet all seating scenarios, will be solved by the OEM as the final system integrator.

Rearward-facing front seats have generally been limited to concept cars that explore a far-away world in which SAE Level 5 autonomous driving has been perfected. Magna has rewritten that playbook, winning a contract with a Chinese OEM for a reconfigurable seating system that includes fully rotating front seats on long rails, creating an unusually flexible cabin.

Currently configured for vehicles with two rows of seating, the system features power-swivel seats along rails or tracks nearly two meters (6.6 ft) long. The front passenger and driver seats can rotate 270 degrees.