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Here's the thing. People's needs is changing in the last 20yrs while our car wouldn't evolve itself. While it rides great, a growing popularity is on upgrading the Android infotainment which leads me to think about this concept here - the center console redesign. Below's a Google downloaded photo. Below the center wood, it hides the ashtray and the retractable cup holder aka impractical cup holder. Taken out these two items, the console can go very deep and tons of space inside above the rear vent ducting. Can we totally scrap the wood piece and redesign a single piece 3D printed replacement which includes two phone chargers and three cup holders that actually work? Using the metal taps from the original wood piece and copying the exact mating surface, the 3D printed piece can snap on as-if it is the factory wood. Therefore, no damage to the car and a complete reversal can be possible if desire to roll back after. While the ugly 3D pring piece cannot match with wood grain, leather wrapping the 3D printed piece is still a possible option which also color match the interior leather. The print can be either PETG or ABS. Adding fancy features can get a few soft touch pieces with TPU printing so metal water bottle not going to make its noise.
The objectives:
1. not to get in a way to the shifter as it can sit all the way down to the rear vent ducting where the bottom of the current retractable cup holder mechanism.
2. get three cup holders so that driver can have a water and a coffee while the passenger has their one preferred drink.
3. two wireless charger slot for two phones charging the same time without messy cable
4. delete the ashtry
5. for the tech geeks, this concept can have the redesigned console based as the Gridfinity base so that cup holders or other add-on can be wrapped out with magnets
Any thoughts? Anyone is the king of CAD here thinking this concept is possible? And possible think of this is a bad idea with reasons?
An alternative I am thinking to take out the retractable door pocket and make a fixed pocket with cup holder on the door. Same leather wrapped 3D printing concept.
I dunno, my ashtray fits my garage door opener perfectly, I replaced the lighter with a dual usb receptacle, and my cup holders work fine. Plus everything can be hidden when not in use.
That’s just me though, if you want to make something else to better suit your needs go for it.
i love the stowaway cupholders on my LS, while they aren't the best cupholders, the 90% of the time they aren't in use I dont have to look at them. The ashtray, is pretty useless.
Had the idea of taking the ashtray out and using the cigarette lighter power and figure out a wireless charging pad to put there.
I find I put my phone there a lot.
Reduced ambition leads me to redesign the cup holder instead. The factory cup holder is really blocking the shifter. And I realize 90% of the time the ashtray door is opened with messy phone charging cables. It's far from a clean console yet I couldn't manage to close everything while still have functional phone charging and water. Finally fix the problem with 3 iterations of 3D model design. The broken CD changer also give space to a much more valuable use, a phone charging for passenger. Other than the CD changer, everything is reversible to factory setup undamaged if I don't need a phone and water one day.
Finally, 32oz water bottle sits nice and low. The ashtray opening allows 8cm diameter of bottles. The base of the new cup holder sits 7cm below the wood. These waters are in the car 90% of the driving so that I don't miss the ashtray wood.
My intention is never to commercialize anything but just to share the design within this forum. So you can print your own with exact cup size you want and color you want. Maybe adding a type c charging port whatever features. Even one cup one air ride controller can be very cool. The most difficult part is to copy the contour of the ashtray interface. Once that's done, other features add / drop becoming extremely easy.
Console redesign concept discussion
