From 1995 t0 2002 this was the Ford Fiesta, an evergreen staple of the supermini sector.
The same dashboard ended up in the Ford Puma too as well as the Mazda 121. It’s the ashtray we are interested in here, a pull-out drawer, designed to accommodate the presence or absence of the centre cubby which was not fitted in some markets. The cigar lighter is positioned in the drawer. The position is not quite optimum as the gear lever gets in the way when in 1st, 3rd and 5th gear.
By 2002 the ashtray party drew to a close for the Fiesta.
The new version may have been smartly geometric, inspired by VW’s seriousness but the cupholder tub now served as a holder for the optional smoker’s pack. The position didn’t improve either whether for ashtrays or cups. The surrounding part is an extension of the gear lever shroud. For the next model the main dashboard became very stylised indeed. The basic concept remained the same though the centre console now formed a continuous part with the dashboard with no improvement in the cupholder positioning.
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