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A comprehensive survey is presented of research studies regarding thermal comfort issues in the vehicle passenger compartment environment. The work is classified according to whether it is concerned with the passenger compartment environment or the condition of the passengers and their interaction with the compartment. The review includes factors associated with passenger compartment conditions, such as flow field and temperature field, which affect the thermal comfort of the occupants. The evolution of thermal comfort models is reviewed. Also included are various computational and empirical models for predicting physiological response and the sensation of thermal comfort in the non-uniform transient environment of a vehicle. The use of thermal manikins in these studies is also incorporated. Areas in which additional information is required are identified and comments are made regarding future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]