If you’re a car enthusiast following developments in the automotive landscape, you’d know that some carmakers are already working on or even offering digital mirrors that take the place of conventional outer mirrors on a vehicle. These devices essentially replace the mirrors with cameras that transmit an image onto monitors inside the cabin.
Toyota’s premium brand Lexus will also be fielding its own take on such a system as it introduces the Digital Outer Mirrors on the new ES that will make its Japanese debut this October. While other systems do away with the usual mirror housings mounted on the doors, this one still makes use of them—albeit in a more streamlined form to help cheat the wind.
These very same housings contain the rear-facing cameras that shoot an image onto two 5-inch monitors, one mounted on each side at of the dash at the base of the A-pillars. The cool thing about this system is that it adjusts accordingly and enhances either the left, right, or rear view, depending on which turn signal is activated or if the transmission in put in reverse Drivers can likewise manually enhance a field of vision.
Apart from being more slippery, the new design is also resistant to rain water and snow. This means zero chances of your view being obstructed.
For now, however, the Digital Outer Mirrors will only be available in the Japanese market.
