Audi was working on it, and other car brands had also already dropped words about it, but in the end Lexus is the first to present digital exterior mirrors. The cameras will come on the new Lexus ES, due out later this year.
Car experts have never labelled the Lexus ES as the most technically advanced car, but the seventh generation may well change that. The Japanese carmaker is going a step further this time with the introduction of optional 'Digital Side-View Monitors'.
The company claims it has a world first with the digital mirrors, and technically that is true. Admittedly, Audi's E-tron also gets them and the Volkswagen XL1 is also said to feature digital side mirrors. But Lexus will be the first to put digital side mirrors into production. However, Audi has already tested its mirrors in a prototype.
The system includes a pair of small cameras mounted on horizontal uprights where mirrors normally sit. Their view is displayed on two 5-inch screens inside the car, near the base of the windscreen. Lexus says the camera housing is specially designed to reduce the accumulation of rain and snow that could reduce visibility. The cameras also automatically adjust their field of focus as soon as a turn signal is activated or the transmission is put into reverse.
Holy grail
For many car engineers, side mirrors with a camera have been something of a holy grail for years. Not only do they look less bulky, they are also smaller than normal mirror housings. As a result, they have better aerodynamics and can reduce the wind sensitivity of the vehicle. Several "concept cars" have already been shown at car shows that had used the technology (in part), but due to excessive costs and legal problems in several countries, their commercial launch has not gotten off the ground before.
So Lexus seems to be the first carmaker that can say it did manage to go into production. The new ES, equipped with the mirrors, will go on sale from the end of October.
For now, the digital mirrors will only be available in Japan, as the technology has already been approved there. In other countries, it may take some time. Other carmakers have so far struggled to get approval in the US to replace traditional glass side mirrors for camera-based alternatives.
Source: Lexus/CNET.
