The Las Vegas consumer electronics show, CES , isn’t all about tiny laptops and exotic Wii controllers. There’s a great deal to interest car enthusiasts too. One exhibit that points the way to the car of the future is Delphi’s rather uninspiringly-named Information, Convenience, Protection (ICP) demonstration vehicle.

Taking the not unreasonable view that anything that encourages the driver to take their eyes off the road is probably a bad thing, the ICP system replaces the array of mirrors, dials, sat-navs and instruments on most modern cars with a neat heads-up display and three video screens. This places all of the essential information that the driver needs within a 20 degree field of view.

The combination of external cameras and internal video displays also serves to eliminate blind spots in traffic and makes parking a significantly less stressful affair.

The driver can even use a dashboard-mounted video screen to check on back seat passengers without twisting into the potentially hazardous ‘parent corkscrew’.

The system is also integrated with a bi-directional key fob that can check on the status of your vehicle remotely and even close a forgotten window without the driver having to walk back to the parked car. There are dozens of innovative new tricks that the system can perform but the replacement of external mirrors is the most innovative feature, enabling you to park in narrow city streets without engendering another £100 bill every time a white van scythes off a wing mirror.