"robobass" wrote in message
...

And as for why it is on cars today -- even cars which come
*without* a cigarette lighter -- it is because it has been in cars
for
long enough so people have found other uses for it -- whether it is
well
designed for the purpose or not -- it gets *used* for those extra
purposes, and people complain if it is not present. :-)

Well sure, but the customer has no alternative. And a modern family
will want to plug in many things. Navigator, portable DVD, phone
charger... You start accumulating ciggie plug extensions and end up
with wires and oversized connectors all over the place. I'm sure the
industry is aware of the problem, but it's hard to revise a standard
which has been there so long, not matter how bad it is. A revision
would not only need cooperation between manufacturers of both cars and
devices, but also woukd require rule changes by regulatory bodies in
many countries. Fortunately, since I have a soldering iron, I don't
need to wait another twenty years.

Are there really cars without cigarette lighters?

This is an aftermarket cigarette lighter to replace the factory power
outlet:
http://www.hondapartssuperstore.com/...ine-p-304.html