Looking at the image above, it took me a few moments to realize what was different, but once I did, I wondered, how was this not an option before?
Well, with gas cars, I guess it couldn’t really be an option, but with electric powertrains, new possibilities open up.
Whereas there have been 6- and 7-seat vehicle options for ages that allowed people to easily move between the second and third rows of a vehicle, there haven’t (as far as I’m aware) been vehicles offering two seats in the front and an aisle down the middle to go to the back seats (unless we’re counting RVs). This is a great option to make it possible for a parent in the front to get to the back if needed, or to allow people to switch positions in the vehicle on a long drive.
It just makes the front seats more accessible and open, too.
Here are some more views and options for the vehicle:
Personally, I love the layout (even though you’ll never catch me owning such a large vehicle). Of course, we can’t buy a vehicle with this layout anyway. Only BYD and Xiaomi have created models using this 2+2+3 seat format, and those are Chinese automakers that are not able to sell their cars in the United States of America.
This 2+2+3 layout was first introduced in the BYD Great Tang (aka Da Tang). Now it has just been revealed as the layout of the coming Xiaomi SkyNomad N90. (Note that BYD and Xiaomi are not related, but rather fierce competitors on the Chinese EV market.)
Note that the front seats on the Xiaomi SkyNomad N90 provide 180° rotation and the second-row seats are zero-gravity comfort seats. (Can they make us any more envious?) Oh yeah, there’s also “a ceiling-mounted screen that can slide forward and backwards, an optional PAD expansion for the third row, and an available projection kit,” CarNewsChina shares.
By the way, this model also comes with lidar — something that seems to be becoming a norm in China.