This Volvo subsidiary may have found a solution to the visibility problems at the rear of cars: replace the window with a camera and put a screen on the rearview mirror.
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This is a radical choice that Polestar, a subsidiary of Volvo, has made on its new Model 4, a crossover, a sort of coupe, high on legs. On this type of model, we always have the same problem: as the roofline dips at the rear, we end up with a tiny rear window and we see almost nothing. Hence the idea of removing it completely and replacing it with a camera and a screen on the central rearview mirror. As a result, visibility will be much better since the camera has a much wider viewing angle. We will no longer be bothered by passengers or objects on the rear shelf. And if you want to see your children, you press a button and the rearview mirror becomes a classic mirror again. But suddenly, we will only see the interior of the car.
A car without a rear window is completely legal, this is already the case for all vans and trucks. When it comes to cars, until now there have only been supercars. But Polestar is the first to take the plunge on mass-produced models. This gives a lot of advantages. This allows it to have greater headroom, and even reclining rear seats. And because the camera is protected, the driver will be less bothered by dirt, dust or snow.
Other manufacturers are considering it for crossovers
But not sure it suits everyone. Without a window in the back, it will still be much darker. You should therefore not be claustrophobic. Finally, it’s not quite the same thing to look at a screen and to look at reality in a mirror. You will have to get used to measuring distances again when, for example, you make a gap. This could become widespread, Polestar believes in it. Its future Model 5 will also remove the rear window. And it’s not the only one, other manufacturers would also like to make it obsolete, particularly on crossovers. So we’ll see how customers react. But why not both? A camera and a window (even a small one), like that, we would have the best of both worlds.