Lexus has launched a digital side-view mirror option for its ES 300h executive saloon, replacing conventional door mirrors with a camera and monitor system.
The manufacturer says the system, initially launched in Japan in 2018, provides an enhanced view of the area behind and alongside the vehicle, reducing the driver’s blindspots.
The cameras are housed in casings in the same position as traditional door mirrors, with the images displayed in five-inch screens positioned at the base of the front pillars.
When the driver indicates or selects reverse gear, the monitors automatically present an extended view of the area alongside and behind the car.
The digital side-view monitor system also automatically adds reference guidelines to the images.
When parking, the lines indicate 20 and 50cm distances from the rear bumper, and 50cm along each side of the car.
These are shown on the live image and also in an icon on the display depicting the car’s position viewed from above.
When highway driving, the driver is helped to judge safe distances from other traffic with reference lines indicating 5m, 10m and 15m on the road ahead when driving at speeds up to 44mph (70km/h). At higher speeds the distances are 5m, 10m, 15m and 30m.
The camera units have built-in heating to avoid freezing or misting, and are retracted when the car is parked.
The digital side-view monitor system is available on the ES 300h Takumi model, priced at £1,600.
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Andrew Ryan is the features editor at Fleet News. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has specialised in the fleet industry for the past 12.
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