US Wished for 2011 BMW X3 Friendlier Cupholders...

... and the Munich designers complied with the Americans' request. Though it may be hard to believe, BMW of North America was extremely serious when they've urged the Munich designers to improve ergonomics of the 2011 BMW X3 cupholders. Yes, that was their biggest worry...

This means that when the second generation X3 Sports Activity Vehicle hits the market next year, it will have American sized ... cup holders.

“That didn’t mean we could take over the design,” said Joe Wierda, the X3 product manager at BMW. “But it did mean we could get good cupholders and we won’t get dinged by J.D. Power for not having them. That was one thing I spent the past three years doing — trying to get the guys back in Munich to understand that we’ve got to get the cupholders right. We sent over Big Gulp cups and big McDonald’s cups and said, ‘This is really what we have to address.’ ”

We still have problems dealing with that, as we would have thought the US is more focused on improving safety rather than on making the cupholders more appealing. But who are we to judge? After all, the X3’s strong success in the U.S. market is the only thing that matters.

What’s else to say on the 2011 BMW X3? Will it matter if we remind you that it will come with a more powerful engine and BMW’s new eight-speed transmission? For some, this might be just "additional information." After all, why would you want a car for its performances, when you can simply enjoy putting your fresh hot cup of coffee bought from Starbucks in a cold Monday morning on your way to work?