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The humble cupholder has come a long way and it's not done yet.
Ford, for one, is conducting extensive research into the use and abuse of cupholders as it shapes the cabins of its future cars.
Its background comes from a Neilsen survey in America but, apart from the size of the giant Slurpee cups that are so popular across the Pacific, the results are likely to parallel the situation in Australia.
Neilsen says cupholders are now as popular for carrying mobile telephones, keys and coins as they are for beverages. And they need to be more than just a plastic hole in the centre console.
About half of people use a cupholder to store their mobile, followed by 28 per cent who use one for change, 19 per cent for food, 14 per cent for chewing gum or mints and 12 per cent for wallets. Men are more likely to store their wallet and change, while women use cupholders for ... cups.
"When you like your cupholders, they can make your vehicle feel like home," says Jolanta Coffey, manager for instrument panels and consoles at Ford.
Design work for cupholders now involves clearing more space — new-age rotary gearshift controls help — in the console, accommodating bottles as well, giving extra support for containers during braking and cornering, and even providing lighting and cooling in the cupholders.
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