Car manufactures are always looking for new ways to add money to their bottom line. One sure fire way to do this is to offer a dizzying array of options on their cars, and to pre-package these items together so you may have to buy a package of two,three, or even four items just to get the stereo or sport suspension that you just can’t do without.
Most options have real world applications so even if you don’t have the cash to afford them or don’t want them, you can imagine why someone might when ordering or buying a car. Having said that, the options I am listing below seem to me to be silly, impractical, and even ludicrous.
2011 Honda Element Dog Friendly Package $995 (I’m not kidding) This package comes with dog pattered back seats, heavy duty bone motif floor mats, and paw prints on your hatchback. Also included are a leash, an ID tag, a spill proof water bowl, a soft sided crate for the cargo bay, and an electric fan in the cargo bay. I thought dogs liked sticking their heads out the windows for a breeze? Unbelievably enough, this option also includes a ramp for your dog to “walk” into the back of the truck. Does anyone out there really think this is worth a thousand dollars?
2011 Mini Cooper Convertible “Openometer”. This is a gauge that keeps track of the hours and minutes you have your car’s top down so you can be aware of how much you are using the “openness” that buying a convertible Mini Cooper affords you. I’m sure BMW had their top engineers working around the clock on this “very necessary” device. Honestly I cannot believe they wasted the metal and glass to create something so silly and unnecessary.
2012 Fiat 500 Perfume Diffuser. Fiat is finally making their return to the North American Market so it makes sense (or scents ha ha) that they are pulling out all stops and making a “Perfume Diffuser” available in the US bound 500 model. With this feature you control from the dash how much perfume you “diffuse” in your underpowered Fiat 500, although you must give up a cup holder if you opt for this “unique” option. I know Fiat is gung-ho to go after some of the market share that the Mini Cooper is enjoying on our fair shores, so the ability to electronically control the diffusion of perfume in Fiat’s Miniesque 500 model must be a secret weapon to lure Mini Cooper enthusiasts away from their cars and into a brand new Fiat 500. That is if Mini fans are able to live without their openonmeter–tough choice indeed.