Computer-aided design tools are already used in the automobile industry and will continue to save months of design time and improve the quality of cars. In 1997 Chrysler designed its first paperless cars (1998 and 1999 full-size sedans) using digital model assembly. In the foreseeable future, the design engineer's computer-aided design might guide computer-controlled machinery and reduce the need for blueprints. See also Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacture.
Microelectronics will be more fully applied to future automobiles and may become as commonplace as radios are today. On-board systems are becoming available that enable drivers to find destinations through voice-activated navigation or make cellular calls using the computer. These computers can access the Global Positioning System (GPS) and display maps to help drivers avoid congested freeways and find better routes to destinations. See also Intelligent Transportation Systems.