A peek inside the cars of the future

Peeking over the designer's shoulder, what will a car's interior be like in the year 2000? Chrysler's Interior 2000 Project uses technology that's available today, but not yet developed for mass-production use in automobiles. Some proposed features:

Thin-shell molded seats. A satellite navigation system and information display screen on the instrument panel. A satellite rather than cellular telephone system. Individual heater/air-conditioning control for both driver and passenger positions. Credit-card-size control units which contains a memory feature to return all mirrors, radio stations, radio volume level, and steering column to driver's pre-selected position. A thin, electronic instrument panel mounted so that it appears to float from the car's dashboard. Controls mounted in the steering-wheel hub.

``The main concerns in the Interior 2000 Project,'' says Chrysler designer Trevor Creed, ``are fit, finish, passenger comfort, and a thinner profile to provide more room in the passenger compartment.''