I'm willing to bet it was another cost-saving measure. You know, taking away that much unnecessary plastic in 10,000 cars (SVTs) yields some pennies saved!
Well, maybe not. The cupholder-area underneath does look useful somehow. I saw a picture of hmouta's setup, he's got a stealth switch mounted in there for something (neons?).
EDIT
here... it's the master switch for all
these in his car.
Looking closer at that first picture of hmouta's car it appears obvious that the holes reach down all the way to the "cupholder" part. I thought they were just holes in the plastic, but now it looks like they are the mounting stabilizers that help keep the lid mounted to the console. Also makes it look like a VERY easy mod for someone who wants a lid on their console.
