Ford want self-driving cars that can act as a living room

Car users could soon be eating their dinner in their vehicles, if Ford's concept for an autonomous car that can reconfigure its seats so the passengers can face each other goes to plan.

The idea of the interior of a car acting just like a living room would see a variety of seating positions including one that features a bench that can fold so its either facing the front or rear, and front seats that can tuck under the dashboard.

Autonomous cars, also known as self-driving cars, allow for nothing to be required of the passengers, meaning that seats facing the front of the car aren't necessary as the car takes control of its own destination.

A similar concept was produced earlier this year when the Mercedes-Benz 5 015 "Luxury In Motion" outlined a similar style to Ford's. Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche said that "quality time in private space will be the true luxury goods in the future".

As they are not currently available on the market, Ford's latest design won't be purchasable for the foreseeable future, but the actual idea has been around for over a half a century.

Some concept drawings of families dining in their car while driving stretch back to the 1950s.