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At Munro & Associates, seat teardowns are more than just taking things apart—they’re a deep dive into the design philosophies, cost structures, and manufacturing choices that tell the story of a vehicle. Today, we’re looking at the Imperium Skywell, a Chinese electric SUV that entered the market at an aggressive $30,000 price point. After sitting in our facility for nearly three years, the Skywell finally hit the teardown bench, and its seating systems gave us plenty to analyze—and question.
Starting with the Rear Seat Cushion
One of the first things we noticed was the unique folding mechanism of the rear seat. Unlike many vehicles where the seat back simply folds forward, the Skywell features a cushion that flips upward, standing on its end. While this allows the seat back to fold more completely, it introduces added complexity—especially in the seat foam and the structural components embedded within.
The bracket design, which enables this movement, presents a challenge in the assembly process. Each side has its own handed bracket, but there are no visual indicators to tell the assembly line workers which is which. Without poka-yoke features (mistake-proofing), there’s room for human error, which could mean costly production slowdowns or quality control issues.
Seat Disassembly & Serviceability
From a teardown perspective, separating the seat back from the cushion was surprisingly straightforward. With just a couple of bolts and minimal wiring, the two parts came apart cleanly—something we like to see. This modularity is helpful for manufacturing and future repairs.
However, taking off the seat cover was another story. Unlike many modern seats that use zippers or removable back panels for ease of service, the Skywell uses a sleeve-style design. The seat cover is sewn completely shut, then turned inside out and pulled down over the frame during assembly. Alignment must be perfect, or you risk misfitting the entire cover.
This kind of setup makes repairs expensive and impractical. A torn bolster—which might normally cost $100 to fix—could require full seat replacement due to labor costs. Ironically, the second-row seats do use zippers, making the decision on the front seats even more confusing.
Structure: Efficient vs. Overbuilt
Now for the positives: the front seat frame is actually quite efficient. It uses fewer stamped components than what we typically see from Honda or Ford—cutting down on both part complexity and manufacturing time. While it lacks a tilt-adjustable seat pan (a feature often found on higher-end vehicles), its fixed structure gets the job done without unnecessary bulk.
That said, the second-row structure is less impressive. Overly thick steel and under-optimized brackets make it heavier and more expensive than necessary. And for a seat that may not even be present in all configurations of the vehicle, it’s odd to see this much material and complexity.
Another feature worth noting is the calf support bracket—clearly a luxury touch. But it’s minimally refined and not even painted. That may not matter to some, but in certain markets, exposed unpainted metal can be seen as a sign of poor quality—particularly in the resale market.
Quality Concerns: Paint and Rust
Speaking of unpainted components, we observed rust on several seat parts—despite this vehicle never having been driven and only sitting indoors for a few years. That’s concerning. We’ve had other seat structures stored under similar conditions that showed zero rust after five years.
This points to possible issues with the quality of steel being used. In one case from another Asian OEM, we found rust flaking through two layers of paint within months of assembly. The Skywell hasn’t gone that far, but the presence of rust still raises red flags.
Right-Left Symmetry: Smart or Costly?
One efficient aspect of the design was the common use of seat tracks for both the driver and passenger sides. By making the tracks symmetrical and bolting on unique brackets rather than welding them in place, the Skywell can save on tooling costs and simplify inventory.
But this method isn’t without trade-offs. It introduces more fasteners and steps into the assembly process. Whether that’s worth it depends entirely on the plant’s setup and labor rate. For North American production, for example, reducing bolt counts often outweighs inventory simplicity.
Structural Trade-offs: Tubes vs. Stampings
The seat back’s design also highlighted some interesting engineering decisions. Instead of a large stamped crossbar to support the headrest guides, the Skywell uses a bent tube frame with small welded-on tubes for the guides. While it’s lightweight and avoids the tooling cost of a massive stamping die, it increases welding complexity. Aligning those tubes correctly—both in position and angle—can be tricky and time-consuming.
Would a full stamping be better? It depends. The cost of tooling is high, but for large production volumes, it could reduce labor costs significantly. Again, it all comes down to manufacturing strategy.
Drive Motor Bracket: Missed Opportunity
One of the final areas we examined was the bracket supporting the fore-aft drive motor. This is a common failure point in many vehicles, and the Skywell’s version could be stronger. The stamped steel bracket is weakened by unnecessary cutouts and bends—right where it should be strongest.
A properly designed stamped steel bracket is more cost-effective and durable than plastic, but only if the design is right. Fixing that bracket geometry could prevent long-term reliability issues with minimal impact on cost.
Headrest Design: Visual Luxury, Hidden Cost
The headrests showed two different design approaches. The second-row units are molded shut and foam-injected—a simple, durable method. But the front headrests are styled to look like dual-layer adjustable units, despite being a single molded block. The added sewing and shaping give the illusion of complexity but come at a higher cost.
While it looks upscale, it’s a curious place to spend extra effort—especially in a vehicle aimed at affordability.
A Bigger Picture
Overall, the Skywell’s seats are a fascinating blend of smart engineering and missed opportunities. The front seats show clear cost-optimized design, while the second row and detail choices like the headrest suggest areas where cost, serviceability, and quality could be improved.
At Munro & Associates, we don’t just tear things down—we help manufacturers make smarter decisions. Whether it’s figuring out if a stamping is better than a weldment, or choosing where in the world to manufacture based on process efficiency, our goal is the same: create value through design.
The Skywell seat teardown illustrates the critical importance of understanding the full lifecycle of a part—from the plant floor to the aftermarket. And if you’re looking to design better, build smarter, and compete globally, that’s where we come in.
More cutting-edge analysis from Munro Live is just around the corner. Stay tuned!