Fifty bucks for an organizer that sits in your console? Look, I’m involved with manufacturing, so I get why things cost what they do. That doesn’t make these costs any easier to swallow. That’s why I’m excited to see car makers providing custom-designed accessories for their cars that take advantage of the storage space already available, provide useful ways to carry cargo, or even give the owners some cool toys to go along with their new ride. What’s even better is that these companies are providing these goodies for free. Well, sort of free. You see, you have to 3D print them.
Still, that’s hardly that big a deal anymore. If you don’t own a 3D printer, you probably know someone or someone’s brother who has one, or you can hit your local library, which may have a crafting space with such a device. Or maybe it’s time for you to get into 3D printing yourself – there are excellent options under $250.
Unfortunately, the automaker currently offering the models you see in the top graphic and below is not one that sells cars in America. In fact, it’s a brand most people here don’t even know exists: Skoda. But just look at some of the cool things you can download in minutes, print within a few more, and have a totally tricked-out interior in your car!
How about a place to hold your key, fries, and dip?
Look at this cool console organizer setup here. Very easy to imagine that stuff just rattling around in an empty cupholder. “But now I don’t have a place to put my dri …” Shhhh.
Look, there’s a two-level tray thing in the under-armrest console storage box! Plus, you can print them in whatever color filament you have on hand. Hello Kitty pink? Sure!
You could pick a contrasting color for a multipurpose tray in the lower console with a cup holder or an area for sunglasses, and a covered-top storage area.
I like how they picked a contrasting color for the slotted accessory going into the cup holder. Damn, if Porsche offered this, it would be a $2500 accessory, right?
Seat-back grocery bag/baseball cap/charge cable hooks? Sure!
There are key rings and desk-top car shapes, too, but what I like best are the scale car models:
You can add as much detail as you want by printing with different filaments and adjusting the print settings – or use a resin printer.
In some ways, it’s like the rebirth of the promotional models that American car companies used to give away in showrooms:
Sure, I know that places like Thingyverse offer (and have offered) these things for free for some time, but to have manufacturers doing it with the actual SolidWorks files of the car itself is a big plus to me.
Skoda has placed these items on their own Printables page:
I want to print all of these, and I don’t even own a Skoda. I don’t even know what a Skoda is.
Sure, technically these aren’t really “free” – even if you already have a printer, there’s the filament or other media cost – but you’re getting the engineering and development of the parts by the OEM for nothing.
By the way, Ford has a similar page on their site, but when I clicked on the links, I personally couldn’t get it to work. They list some safety considerations and such, telling you to “consult your owner’s manual” when designing parts, but I want to just click and print like Skoda allows you to.
In this day and age of needing a subscription for getting your heated seats to work, I’ll take this as a win.
Top graphic images: Skoda
Wasn’t this going to be a thing Ford was offering with the Maverick once upon a time?
Link to that is in the article
The downloads don’t work for me either. Leave it to Ford to recall their cad files.
Can we start an Autopian part library where people can contribute things? Maybe make it a member perk or something?