Called the Lifestyle Demonstration Vehicle, it is a working car based on a stretched platform of the Taurus sedan. It includes a portable sub-notebook personal computer and Internet connections linked to a printer in the glove box.

The car was displayed the first day of Convergence '98, the 13th bi-annual auto, computer and electronics conference.

Richard Parry-Jones, who heads the U.S. No. 2 automaker's product development, said in a prepared speech that reliability of what he termed "infotronics" poses the biggest challenge to consumer acceptance of new technologies in cars.

New computer and electronic technologies must be able to withstand extreme temperatures, exposure to vibrations and potential accidents, and last for 10 years or 150,000 miles, he said.

"Improved reliability androbustness are essential before the electronics industry can regard infotronics as a major new piece of the automotive market," he said.

Parry-Jones also said simplicity is key to market acceptance. Many of the consumer electronics devices now available in non-auto applications are still too complicated for many users, he said.

The North American market for new technologies such as navigation systems is about five years behind Japan and Europe, according to Parry-Jones. He noted the global market for multimedia, vehicle safety and control systems is on the verge of huge growth, with some analysts projecting worldwide sales of 50 million units at $30 billion a year by 2011.

However, he cautioned that in order for the new systems to be accepted by consumers they must provide real value and be available at affordable prices.