Chinese brand patents perhaps the most unusual in-car luxury feature yet

We’ve seen luxury features like massaging seats, fragrance dispensers, and heating, cooling and freezing compartments become ubiquitous among Chinese brands, but Deepal is moving the game forward with a highly unusual in-car feature.

As reported by Car News China, the Chinese auto brand has filed to patent a foot bath which telescopically extends from under the front-passenger seat, and can be easily removed for cleaning.

Deepal has addressed concerns about water sloshing around in there and ending up on the car’s floor, with the patent detailing an anti-sway structure installed within the basin to help mitigate this.

“The anti-sway structure includes a body that at least partially divides the receiving space of the foot basin, and the body is provided with a guide hole that connects to the receiving spaces on both sides of the body,” the filing reads.

“The main body can block the liquid in the foot basin, thereby limiting the large-scale flow of the liquid within the containment space; the guide holes allow the liquid on both sides of the main body to circulate with each other, reducing the liquid level difference between the two sides of the main body.

“This helps to reduce the sloshing of the liquid in the foot basin during vehicle vibration or movement.”

There have been various features introduced by brands to improve second-row occupant comfort. These have included controls for a rear passenger to move the front passenger seat, as well as massaging calf rests, and even a front passenger seat with a folding insert that allows the rear passenger to stick their legs through and recline.

However, no brand has introduced an in-car foot bath yet, although Chery was previously granted a patent in 2022 for an in-car foot bath with water heating, massage, and drainage.

The company has yet to introduce this feature, and indeed many automakers will file patents for features they don't end up introducing – just look at Toyota's tear gas dispenser filing from 2018, GM's massaging floor filing from 2019, or Ford's controversial 2023 filing to listen in on in-car conversations and serve up targeted ads to occupants.

“With the continuous development of vehicle comfort features, vehicles are no longer just used to meet the basic travel needs of passengers, but are also gradually taking on the needs of rest, care, and health management,” the filing reads.

“During long-distance travel, passengers' feet are in a relatively fixed posture for a long time, which can easily lead to discomfort such as soreness and fatigue.”

Chinese automakers are looking for new and innovative ways to stand out from each other, given the glut of competition in their market.

Rox Motor controversially introduced an in-car toilet. A centre console compartment with a removable lid can be lined with a specific plastic bag containing a deodorising and absorbent gel, thereby allowing you to take care of business without getting out of the car. Unlike Deepal's foot bath patent, there's no water involved in Rox's in-car toilet.

Seres filed to patent an even more sophisticated – and confronting – solution to the problem of people needing to go while on the go. The filing details a toilet that lives under the passenger seat, with waste going into a manually removable tank.

MORE: Explore the Deepal showroom