Creature comforts

Priorities for interior design are many and include increased safety, reduced noise, greater comfort, less complex ergonomics, and more systems support for the driver.

After more than a century of progress, the cabin environment is still under development and is likely to be so for many years to come. Even vehicle seats, with a history going back way beyond the buckboard and stagecoach, remain under development with endless-and costly-variations on the same theme. Noise reduction is a focus for vehicle-development engineers.

“Personally, I would not put money on active noise control systems, although we do continue to look at the technology,” said Richard Parry-Jones, Group Vice President, Global Product Development, and Chief Technical Officer, Ford Motor Co. “It seems to be a solution looking for a problem.”