I seen the pics you put up. Thats not original from what I know, i would say its an optional extra especially since it also has the storage trays under the seats which are also an optional extra. Its just a though but maybe in order to fit the optional storage container you have they needed to remove the ash tray and ciggy lighter
Could you put up a pic of a straight on view of the storage unit, just out of interest. I have never seen one before and it looks cool