The need for oversized cupholders in American vehicles remains a source of derision among motoring-minded European drivers, yet it's Italian automaker Fiat that is currently angering driving purists and distracted-driving opponents alike with plans for an in-car espresso machine in its upcoming Fiat 500L.

The option to enjoy the "unique taste ... of true Italian espresso" will be available via an integrated Lavazza Coffee Experience Kit to European buyers of the 5-passenger 500L,  according to the automaker. The 500L debuted at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. It is expected to arrive in the U.S. beginning next year, though the decision to offer the in-car espresso kit to the American market has not yet been made, according to a company representative speaking to CNN.

In response to early criticism regarding the potential for distracted driving -- as might be expected when contemplating brewing piping-hot espresso in a multi-ton vehicle capable of highway speeds -- the Fiat representative clarified that the system could be used only "when the car is stopped," and went on to say that the machine "is quite tiny and it has a docking station in which it remains locked." All of which may or may not satisfy the distracted-driving contingency, but it certainly won't fly among those who like to think of Europeans as conscientious, engaged motorists and Americans as coddled drivers with more concern for creature comforts than spirited automobiles.

Until we up the ante and install an in-car George Foreman grill, that is.

[Sources: CNN; Inside Line.]