Tomorrow’s Cars Won’t Just Drive Themselves. They’ll Feel Different

Look inside a modern car, and you’ll see many of the same materials that formed the earliest automobiles. Leather, wood, metal, and cloth convey a sense of luxury, a connection to the beloved way things were. You may see synthetic stuff too, materials born of the jet and space ages. Radical and often questionable ersatz substances like vinyl, Fiberglas™, wood grain veneer, velour, and injected plastics climbed into the car as symbols of technological sophistication and durability.