Editing Dashboard (section)

==Fashion in instrumentation==
[[Image:Lancia beta interior.jpg|thumb|right|Stylised dashboard from a 1980s [[Lancia Beta]]]]
[[File:95-05 Grand Marquis dashboard.jpg|thumb|The dashboard design of a Mercury Grand Marquis from 1992 to 2005]]

In the 1940s through the 1960s, American car manufacturers and their imitators designed aesthetically shaped instruments on a dashboard accented with chrome and transparent plastic, which could be less readable, but was often thought to be more stylish. Sunlight could cause a bright glare on the chrome, particularly for a convertible.  On North American vehicles in particular,  this trend lingered on until the late-1980s, which still featured dashboards with wood and fake chrome embellishment along with square instruments – long after European and Japanese manufacturers had long embraced a plainer, more functional and austere approach for dashboard and instrument panel design.

With the advent of the [[Vacuum fluorescent display|VFD]], [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] and [[Liquid-crystal display|LCD]] in consumer electronics, some manufacturers used instruments with digital readouts to make their cars appear more up to date. Some cars use a [[head-up display]] to project the speed of the car onto the windscreen in imitation of fighter aircraft, but in a far less complex display.

In recent years, spurred on by the growing aftermarket use of dash kits, many automakers have taken the initiative to add more stylistic elements to their dashboards. One prominent example of this is the Chevrolet Sonic which offers both exterior (e.g., a custom graphics package) and interior cosmetic upgrades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chevrolet.com/sonic-small-car/accessories.html|title=Chevrolet Accessories|publisher=www.chevrolet.com|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221103041/http://www.chevrolet.com/sonic-small-car/accessories.html|archive-date=21 February 2017}}</ref> In addition to OEM dashboard trim and upgrades a number of companies offer domed polyurethane  or vinyl applique dash trim accent kits or "dash kits".

Manufacturers such as [[BMW]], [[Honda]], [[Toyota]] and [[Mercedes-Benz]] have included fuel-economy gauges in some instrument clusters, showing fuel mileage in real time, which was limited mainly to luxury vehicles and later, hybrids. Following a focus on increasing fuel economy in the late 2000s along with increased technology, most vehicles in the 2010s now come with either real-time or average mileage readouts on their dashboards.  The [[ammeter]] was the gauge of choice for monitoring the state of the charging system until the 1970s. Later it was replaced by the [[voltmeter]]. Today most family vehicles have warning lights instead of voltmeters or oil pressure gauges in their dashboard instrument clusters, though sports cars often have proper gauges for performance purposes and driver appeasement along with larger trucks, mainly to monitor system function during heavy usage such as towing or off-road usage.