American automakers get one thing right!

[Atomb]

Put a smile on my face today...Quote »Cupholders an Emotional Issue for Car BuyersBy Steve FinlayWardsAuto.com, Jun 9, 2006 1:37 PMDETROIT – What do many people say when surveyed about the importance of vehicle-cupholder design and size? For one thing, they lie.So says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Inc., an automotive consulting and opinion research firm. He participated in a panel discussion, “Designing for Demographics,” at the Ward’s Auto Interior Show here.He says an AutoPacific survey asked new-car buyers to rate the most important vehicle attributes. Cupholders ranked relatively low in the poll, with only 31% of respondents saying they were important.But says Peterson: “That’s a lie, because even though time and again people in surveys say cupholders are not important, in focus groups it is one of the most emotional issues.“German auto makers still don’t understand it, even though they think they do. American auto makers get it,” he says.German auto makers belatedly put cupholders in their vehicles in the North American market, holding to the premise that vehicles are driving machines, not open-beverage carriers. Bowing to U.S. market demands, the Germans finally installed cupholders, but didn’t seem to put much effort into it, according to critics.Peterson tells of how angry car buyers become when cupholders are inadequately designed and not up to the task of embracing a super-sized Mountain Dew.“We had a focus group of Americans who own German cars, and German designers were watching the discussion through a one-way mirror,” he says. “One of the focus group participants suddenly said, ‘I know designers are behind that mirror, and let me tell you something about your crummy cupholders.’ And the rest of the group goes, ‘Yeah!’”Peterson foresees a day when even home-market German vehicles will have state-of-the-art cupholders.“The German autobahn is getting more and more drive-through restaurants, so cupholders eventually may become more important over there,” he says.

[Mavrik]

I'm lost without a cup holder.my 1989 cavy didn't have any... that sucked big time. It was awsome to have them in my sunfire.

[Kari]

That's pretty funny...I'm not sure I'd want to go to a drive thru on the autobahn though. I'd be too afraid I'd get run over either turning into or trying to get out of one.

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »That's pretty funny...I'm not sure I'd want to go to a drive thru on the autobahn though. I'd be too afraid I'd get run over either turning into or trying to get out of one. actually, that was one of the funnest (is that a word?) parts of driving on zie autobahn. you line up the car on the on ramp and just gun it!the gas station on ramps have a bit of distance, the worst was the rest stops....maybe 15 yards before it spit you out onto the main road!!

[GrayFox]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »â€œThe German autobahn is getting more and more drive-through restaurants, so cupholders eventually may become more important over there,” he says.talk about fast-food. crummy jokes aside, I thought the cupholders on the sunfire (01) were in a pretty bad spot. With a route 44 from sonic it was really hard to get to the AC. I like where they are in the Vibe. My mom's car on the other hand (95 honda accord), they are right behind the shifter and it being a standard, well lets just say even a coke can gets in the way.Sometimes makes you wonder how much thought goes into the question; "ok, now where do we put the cupholders?"

[Atomb]

the vibe's are in a different spot...but geez. were 2 different engineers designing them? I understand that they are different sizes due to the width of the console...but they could have worked around something to get them the same size!2 Fruitopias and only 1 fits!

[ColonelPanic]

Cup holders are doggone important, people don't know who they're kidding when they say they aren't. Especially to me, I start my day with a cup of coffee for now and a 20 oz bottle of water for later. lol... I the ones I have now... While they are two different sizes, both adjust automagically to the size of the cup. I don't drink the super mega turbo mondo gulp things anymore since one of those contain more calories than I consume in an entire day but I for everything else I drink, I haven't found anything I couldn't fit in there. From 12 oz to 24 oz stuff in various forms, everything fits in there fine.Plus I have the bottle holders in all four doors that will hold 20 oz bottles. Nice. I've never had anything with cup holders this good and this is the least expensive car I've owned. I always associated better cup holders with the domestics, since nobody else consumes the drinks the way we do... heh! Surprised me to find this in something Asian, I've seen some pretty cheesy cup holders come from those guys... The ability to transport beverages ranks way up there for many, they just won't admit it. LOL!

[Mrizzle05]

I dont like the cup holder area... cuz it gets in teh way of the ebrake if you have even a medium drink.... i always pop the lids off when i pull my ebrake when i park. engineers! (except you engineertwin )

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »I dont like the cup holder area... cuz it gets in teh way of the ebrake if you have even a medium drink.... i always pop the lids off when i pull my ebrake when i park. engineers! (except you engineertwin )Man, I hated that with the Vibe! If I had a dollar for every time I spilled a drink because the steenkin' top came off!!! That sucked!

[slvrvibes]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »I'm lost without a cup holder.Me too, I always have a bottle of water on the go.

[JohnC]

I am not ashamed to say it...CUP HOLDERS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME. I even brought my favorite cup when test driving the Vibe, it fit perfect.My wife's car has very poorly designed holders, I end up just putting my cup between my legs. Bet the Germans would go bizerk hearing that.

[Mrizzle05]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Man, I hated that with the Vibe! If I had a dollar for every time I spilled a drink because the steenkin' top came off!!! That sucked!tell me about it... especially coffe or juices!!! AAAAAHHHH!I gotta clean it at least once a week with cleaning wipes.

[AKLGT]

that is one of the first things i look for when buying a new car. CUPHOLDERS! are they flimsy and worthless? can i get to it easily while driving??

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »tell me about it... especially coffe or juices!!! AAAAAHHHH!I gotta clean it at least once a week with cleaning wipes.If I would have been a little more careful, if the cup holders would have been more thoughtfully designed and the Vibe's fabric didn't stain just by looking at it... I could have easily made a better return on my investment at trade-in! But nooo, I spilled coffee all over the place so the seats were stained to hell, thus I traded in a car that looks like I took big dumps all over the front seats. heh!

[Toasted7]

What's the big deal with cupholders? J/k!I remember when I got my Vibe, I was none too happy when I found out that a Big Slam of Dr. Pepper wouldn't fit correctly into the cupholder without taking a drink of it first and then cramming it into the holder. I have managed to get along with what we have, but there have been plenty of spills.

[AKLGT]

ya, what i don't understand, is why they made the one in the front so skinny and long while the other is about the correct size, but in an awkward location to easily get to your drink. one of the things i do like about the new car.... LARGE (wide) cupholders. however, i wish i had all the nice little cubbies like the vibe to stash things in!

[Puckman27]

k, articles like this one are so pointlessGerman cars don't have cupholders and all the other crap that our cars have because IT IS ILLEGAL to do anything on the autobahn but drive your car. No talking on cell phones (i think handsfree might be ok), no eating/drinking while driving, etc. besides, they have a ton of cool rest areas w/ restaurants and stuff to stop at, but you cannot actually go through a drive-through at a german mcdonalds and eat it while you're driving on the autobahn @ 200 kmh. hell, you get a ticket for running out of gas or even looking at someone in a road-rage manner.just a big cultural difference. they enjoy driving probably more than we do, hence the autobahn, and view their cars as machines to drive, not to cruise in and eat.not that i'm saying i dont' like cupholders... i would pass out on our boring highways if i didnt' have an energy drink or 2 with me driving through those oh-so scenic roads of indiana on my way to and from chicago.