Now, e-mail, TV, in cars

‘‘The car is an island, isolating its user,’’ said Claudio San Pedro, senior vice president of the Fiat Business Line, Fiat Auto, in Italy. ‘‘To change that, we are aligning our cars with technology as used in homes and offices.’’

Owners of Fiat’s Stilo model, a moderately priced hatchback, can use the optional Connect service to make phone calls and either listen to a voice recite their e-mail messages or read them directly on a screen. ‘‘Even while driving, you can also look at the web, but we do not recommend it,’’ San Pedro said.

That option, and other features available in Europe and Japan, make auto executives in the US shudder. They say they must worry about lawsuits rather than whether their customers can order from Amazon while driving.

‘‘In the US, driver distraction is a bigger thing than in Europe,’’ said Norbert Seitner, head of product planning for Audi North America. ‘‘People in America tend to sue companies very easily,’’ he added, if something goes wrong with the technology.

That is why many car navigation systems in the US display terms and conditions on the screen before they can be used, a requirement not done in other markets.

Besides nervousness over lawsuits, the American auto market has also been more cautious in offering features like television or karaoke, which are widely available in other countries. Executives contend that most American drivers are more interested in advanced safety systems than in entertainment options.

Terrorism has also created a switch in what consumers deem to be necessary equipment as they drive. — NYT