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My bet is that the second row, at least with the seats shown, will not fold down at all but will merely slide forward and/or backwards.
The only control I see in the renderings of this row is one that appears to allow forward/backward movement.
At the very least one seat will do this independently of the others. At best, each second row seat will have the ability to be moved forward or backwards by itself.
I too have been saying that they fold flat, yet there continues to be strange expectation that they fold forward. I simply wanted to add my speculation about the aft folding mechanism to help people understand the possibilities.I have been saying that I think they fold aft and flush. I don't see why they wouldn't.
As far as automatic folding, I wouldn't get my hopes up. I give that a near zero chance.
The "kneeling" idea is interesting but given that I have air suspension in my MS, I can say that the difference between "very low" and "normal" is such that it's not going to make a huge difference. The clearance on the X isn't that much more than the MS, so I just don't see this being as handy as it may seem.
TM has already said they are all 3 independent.
Thanks for the info.
Obviously I had not seen that or I would've just said that my bet was that each second row seat just slide forwards or back and are non folding.
Let me add one more crazy possibility and please tell me if this has been suggested, if so, I hadn't read that post. I have looked at my photos taken at the Battery Swap Event and a good flash photo of the storage space behind the rear seat of a later prototype Model X shows a pull tab at the bottom. The markings on the carpet could be from something else, but it appears that the tab could be pulled toward the back of the vehicle storing the seat bottom into the rear storage area. That would clear space for the 2nd row to be moved forward and tilt completely back. The problem would be the entire 2nd row seat surface would be exposed. Just having fun adding one more suggestion to the mix to help update all the drawings that have been created. Of course, the storage of the rear seat into the storage area could also give extra room for the other suggestions. Have fun enjoying the photos. Tesla Battery Swap Event | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Edit: I did find the storage in the trunk mentioned by Blurry_Eyed here: Will the second row seats fold flat? If so, how? - Page 2
Edit 2: After looking at more photos, I will predict that at the very least, the rear seat bottom appears it can be moved towards the rear with the seat back down. The tab would be to pull the entire 3rd seat towards the rear after the lowering of the back releases the seat bottom latches to allow the pulling action. The rear storage depression might be left alone and the markings on the carpet may confirm that. (I hope the well is left alone, I store my charge adapters in that space with Model S.)
View attachment 92909
This kind of mechanism has been standard, in various forms, in minivans for at least 15 years. There haven't yet been any pictures of the production trunk to note it's size. I think the biggest questions about the 3rd row are 1) What happens to the headrests? and 2) Is the motion manual or automatic?I think you make a really good point about the 3rd row folding backwards. I had naturally assumed the seat back would fold forward and on top of the seat bottom. But it would make a lot of sense for them to fill in the depression that is below the 3rd row seats/pedestal. Then, with the folded third row it would be level with the pedestal that the third row was once resting on. This may be asking too much of the space available for such mechanics but it would be a very elegant solution. I wonder if it is at all possible to extrapolate the thickness of a seat back on top of the seat bottom and see if that equals the trunk depression up to the top of the pedestal.
I think you make a really good point about the 3rd row folding backwards. I had naturally assumed the seat back would fold forward and on top of the seat bottom. But it would make a lot of sense for them to fill in the depression that is below the 3rd row seats/pedestal. Then, with the folded third row it would be level with the pedestal that the third row was once resting on. This may be asking too much of the space available for such mechanics but it would be a very elegant solution. I wonder if it is at all possible to extrapolate the thickness of a seat back on top of the seat bottom and see if that equals the trunk depression up to the top of the pedestal.
As a number of people have pointed out it is clear that they have now moved to aft-folding seats that retract into the trunk space. My previous infographic fails to account for that, so here is an updated one showing past configurations and what I presume they will do in the future.
From what I have seen so far I see no reason why the complexity of the seat design would warrant a delay in the vehicle's release so perhaps they have something completely different in store for us.
As a number of people have pointed out it is clear that they have now moved to aft-folding seats that retract into the trunk space. My previous infographic fails to account for that, so here is an updated one showing past configurations and what I presume they will do in the future.
If the signature seats only move forward and backwards, what is the slot on the front of the supports for? Is it just aesthetic?
It could be that the complexity lies in making the seats crash-safe with all of the load of a passenger on the support. The load of an adult passenger on the belt in a crash can be in excess of 2 tons, more if the passenger is high mass, the vehicle is traveling fast, or both. The belts are integrated into the seats, so all that load has to be held by the seat support alone.
As a number of people have pointed out it is clear that they have now moved to aft-folding seats that retract into the trunk space.
As a number of people have pointed out it is clear that they have now moved to aft-folding seats that retract into the trunk space. My previous infographic fails to account for that, so here is an updated one showing past configurations and what I presume they will do in the future.
I think the slot allows you to tilt the seat as you would tilt the front seat when getting into a 2 door car. This would allow you to tilt the 2nd row seat to access the 3rd row. The second row seats would also be able to move forwards and backwards to adjust leg room for both rows.
No way, I don't believe in the aft-folding seats theory.
(a) the nice ventilated leather would get damaged and (or what J1mbo wrote)
(b) the design studio images seem to show a pivot point in between the 3rd row seats that would pivot forward, not backward.
Totally nuts.
Number 1 rule: do not expose the leather to the load.
No way, I don't believe in the aft-folding seats theory.
(a) the nice ventilated leather would get damaged and (or what J1mbo wrote)
(b) the design studio images seem to show a pivot point in between the 3rd row seats that would pivot forward, not backward.
As a number of people have pointed out it is clear that they have now moved to aft-folding seats that retract into the trunk space. My previous infographic fails to account for that, so here is an updated one showing past configurations and what I presume they will do in the future.
View attachment 92974
From what I have seen so far I see no reason why the complexity of the seat design would warrant a delay in the vehicle's release so perhaps they have something completely different in store for us.