Shockingly enough there was a time when it was believed that motorists would stop driving to eat and drink.
That was mostly back in the 20's and 30's, but compared to what our expectations are of cup holders in vehicles today, the idea to stop to sip on coffee simply jolts the soul.
The Invention Of The Automotive Cup Holder
Our obsession with cup holder began in the 1950's, due to drive-in's and drive thru's.
As the American culture began enjoying the idea of dining within their vehicles, there became a need to have vehicle accessories to cater to the dining experience.
This is right around the time that an attachable tray was invented to hang on the vehicle dashboard.
"A snacktray for cars", became its advertising slogan and was gobbled up by drivers (pun intended).
Cup holders in the 50's hung from metal discs hanging on chains from the tray. A far cry from today's cup holder.
Nonetheless, there were many attempts at implementing cup holders, but the first to incorporate one within the vehicle was a 1955 Chevrolet.
These proto-cup holders indented on the back of the glove compartment, not ideal or practical while on the move, but definitely a start towards the cup holders we have come to love today.
Various forms of cup holders appeared throughout the decades, but it wasn't until 1983 when Chrysler invented the minivan.
Yes, it was the Dodge Caravan that became the biggest game changer for cup holders, as they were the first to have cup holders made out of plastic that sunk into the dashboard.
Since the eighties, all other car manufacturers followed suit and added their own version of the cup holder.
Today, depending on the vehicle you drive, the cup holder may be placed differently, but they definitely come standard, and as drivers, the more the better.
Hopefully you enjoyed a brief history on the invention of the Automotive cup holder.
It is interesting to learn about the little joys our vehicles can bring, like that of the cup holder!
