BMW Night Vision is go

Newswheel staff :: 26 January 2006 :: Filed under BMW, BMW 5 Series, Europe & UK, Safety, US

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High-tech alternative to carrot-intensive diet on sale starting March

Do you have trouble seeing in the dark. Those high-power Xenons not doing it for you? Then you need BMW’s Night Vision technology. Probably. And it’s going into production BMW’s from March.

Presumably, Night Vision is one of those technologies that suddenly makes sense as soon as you’ve tried it. Because we’re currently having difficulty computing the usage model that involves steering your car courtesy of a small, dashboard-mounted screen.

As for the technology behind Night Vision, it’s based on a front-mounted thermal imaging camera that can detect hazards such as people, animals and other objects before they are visible to the human eye in the headlights. The warmer the object, the brighter it appears in on the dash-mounted display – warm blooded bipeds, therefore, are particularly conspicuous. Night Vision’s maximum range is quoted at 300 metres and will be available in the US on 5 Series saloons and wagons and the 6 Series coupe starting in March. More on UK availability as we get it.