BMW adds IR night vision
New car prices inch upward too
Now comes with Night Vision
It first appeared in the 7-Series six months ago and uses a Far Infrared (FIR) thermal imaging camera to see heat-emitting objects; some alternative systems use an IR beam to illuminate objects at night. According to BMW, its system creates an image of pedestrians, animals or other heat-emitting objects at distances of up to 300m – far further than any other system currently on offer and further than the 150m range of xenon headlights. The images are then projected onto the iDrive screen.
BMW said it believes its system is superior to rival manufacturers as the images shown are only those that emit the most heat, and so stand out far better in a driver’s peripheral vision. The system means drivers do not have to take their eyes off the road, said BMW, and it is particularly effective on long stretches of unlit road or motorway.
Night Vision is available now on BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series models and costs £1,385.
Price increases
BMW has also inched up the prices of its more popular models, such as a big chunk of the 3-Series range, especially the convertibles, which go up 1.3 per cent while the 6-Series price rises are as high as 1.6 per cent – roughly £750.
"...The images are then projected onto the iDrive screen.
BMW said it believes its system is superior to rival manufacturers as the images shown are only those that emit the most heat, and so stand out far better in a driver’s peripheral vision. The system means drivers do not have to take their eyes off the road..."
Other than taking your eyes off the road to look at the iDrive screen of course.
Can't these things project onto the windscreen? That said, this could get confusing if they are projecting elswhere on the screen than where the driver would actually see the heat-emitting object finally appear.
All too clever for it's own good if you ask me. What happened to Hella rally lights?
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