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Skoda Wants You To 3D Print Pieces Of Your Car At Home

Why buy car accessories when you can print them?

Skoda accessories and models from the 3D printer

Photo by: Skoda

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 20, at 3:59am ET

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Remember when the Internet told us we wouldn't download a car? Well, the future is now. Skoda is basically daring us to download at least a few parts. You can't 3D-print an entire Octavia in your garage just yet, but you can make cupholders, hooks, and storage accessories without paying the dealership a cent.

Indeed, Skoda has found another way to make its cars more practical without asking customers to spend more money. The Czech automaker, part of the Volkswagen Group empire, is offering a growing collection of free 3D-printable accessories, allowing owners to download designs, print them at home, and add useful storage solutions and other handy features to their vehicles.

The new initiative builds on the company's long-running Simply Clever philosophy, which focuses on making everyday motoring easier through thoughtful details. Engineers and designers at the automaker's innovation incubator developed the accessories, available through Printables.com. The best part? You don't need to buy an official accessory or wait for the automaker to manufacture it. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can make it yourself.

Skoda 3D-printed cup holder

3D-printed Skoda accessories

Photo by: Skoda

Skoda Offers Plenty Of Useful Accessories You Can Print

The collection includes cupholders, storage boxes, cable organizers, coin boxes, phone brackets, and hooks for USB cables and bottle caps. It also includes hooks for seat-back pockets and other small accessories designed to keep everyday items from rolling around the cabin. Many of the designs fit into existing storage compartments without requiring any modifications to the car.

Skoda says the project eliminates the tooling, inventory, and production lead times associated with conventional accessories. Owners can also adapt the downloadable files to suit their needs, giving them more flexibility than off-the-shelf products typically allow.

The company has designed accessories for both current and discontinued models, so the initiative isn't limited to customers buying a new car. The range also includes dedicated solutions for the Epiq and Peaq electric SUVs, such as cupholder covers, a large storage-box tray, specialized inserts, and a lower-console organizer. The flagship Peaq even gets a clip-on cupholder for its folding table that accommodates both standard and larger cups.

Skoda accessories and models from a 3D printer

Skoda accessories and models from the 3D printer

Source: Skoda

Skoda Is Asking People What They Want To Print Next

Interestingly, Skoda says customer feedback helps shape its next ideas. The initiative follows positive reactions to the brand's previously released 3D-printable vehicle models, and the most popular accessory so far is a top tether hook. The company says it is the first automaker to offer this type of accessory collection through a dedicated platform, extending its Simply Clever philosophy beyond the factory and into owners' homes.

It's a refreshingly practical idea in an industry that increasingly charges extra for features that used to come standard. Instead of selling you another branded plastic organizer, Skoda is handing you the design and letting you make one yourself. That's certainly one way to keep the Simply Clever spirit alive.

As the proud owner of a 2017 Octavia, I'm glad to see that Simply Clever is more than just marketing fluff. Over the years, I've come to appreciate the little touches that make everyday life with the car easier, proving that you don't need a luxury badge to get genuinely thoughtful features.

Skoda's Simply Clever Approach

This 3D-printing initiative takes that philosophy a step further by letting owners create their own solutions instead of relying solely on what the factory offers. It's a refreshingly practical approach, and one reason I'm happy to have an Octavia in my garage.

What do you think?

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I'm planning to replace my trusty Octavia eventually, but only when Skoda finally brings an electric wagon to market as the production version of the Vision O concept. Until then, my decade-old car still has plenty of life left in it.

In the meantime, I might as well keep making the most of my current car with a few homemade accessories. After all, why buy a new car when you can print your way to a more practical old one?

Source: Skoda

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