Driver left baffled by purpose of strangely shaped hole in their car's cup holder

A US driver was baffled after spotting an unusually shaped hole next to his 2008 Saturn Aura XE’s cup holder and turned to Reddit for an answer.

The small hole was made up of three circular-shaped spaces as well as a middle part, and sort of resembled Micky Mouse’s head. 

The owner of the car had no clue what it was for, so he went online in search of an answer. 

He was quickly informed what the little compartment was for – but do you know what it is?

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In recent years, we’ve seen carmakers cram more and more tech and gadgets inside their vehicles. 

Last month, Mercedes unveiled its Vision V concept vehicle, which is pretty much a movie theatre on wheels, and even the cheap-as-you-like Nissan N7 is packed with tech, including a 15.6-inch infotainment display. 

Of course, cars haven’t always been like this, and a few years back, a cup holder and a CD player were enough to get most motorists excited. 

And that was pretty much the case for the 2008 Saturn Aura XE, but next to the cup holder, the car also has a small, oddly-shaped hole that left one owner completely baffled. 

So much so, he turned to the What Is This Thing subreddit to see if anyone could shed light on the situation. 

It didn’t take long for the mystery to be solved, with fellow Reddit users quick to point out that the Saturn Aura’s small compartment was designed to hold coins. 

A very handy feature back when most folks would use cash to pay tolls. 

The unusual design actually makes it much easier to get the coins out of the slots, and – as one Redditor explained – each compartment is designed to hold a different coin. 

“The center hole should be for quarters (or equivalent); the outer holes should be for dimes, pennies, and nickels (or equivalent). As an automotive technician, it wouldn’t be the first time someone has asked,” they replied. 

Someone else agreed and pointed out there was even a way to stop coins from getting stuck at the bottom. 

“They go in at an angle so they slide out very easily,” they explained. 

“The peg in the center hole makes it easy to fish out a coin that accidentally falls in there, so it won’t lie flat.”

So, while it might not be super smart tech, it’s still a pretty smart design. 

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