C'Mon Man! Kill the Ashtray
Lear
I don't want an ashtray. And in its place I want a useful space.
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Adam Morath
Which OEM is most likely to start the trend? When Apple ditched the floppy drive, other computer manufacturers soon followed suit.
Chris Paukert
It seems like a lot of companies these days send us vehicles that don't really have ashtrays, although there isn't really much in the way of usable space left over, either. I've even seen some doppelgangers that actually have labels that say "NOT AN ASHTRAY." A lot of new vehicles also have the option for a "smoker's group" package (typically all of $15), which includes some sort of an ashtray and lighter (most cars retain lighters for 12v accessories). I'm always a bit amused when I see drop-in cupholder ashtrays, though I suppose this fulfills a need on the cheap.
Chris Paukert
Editor-In-Chief
Winding Road Magazine // NextAutos
Dave B.
My 2007 VW GTI doesn't have anything resembling an ashtray. There's a spot where they could put one, but it's finished out as a coin tray, with the same rubber mat that they use in the cup holders.
It does, however, have a Red Bull-sized indentation between the cup holders. I guess they've chosen to promote a different addiciton.
ben
I don't like the idea of killing the ashtray altogether, it's better to keep it as an option. It's nice to think there are responsible smokers on the road who would dispose of their cigarette butts properly and not out of the window into my car or into a pile of dried up brush to start a fire. They can really make a mess of things.
Dave B.
10,000 years from now when archaeologists are digging down to study our time, the 20th Century geological strata will be identified by the layer of cigarette butts. I don't want to generalize, but too many smokers use the world as their ashtray. Look at the curb the next time you're stuck in traffic, you'll see butts everywhere.