Jan 4, 2006, 5:16 GMT
Hamburg - BMW and Mercedes are offering night vision as an extra for their top-of-the-range luxury class models at an additional cost of about 2,000 euros (2,370 dollars).
According to the manufacturers, the technology significantly improves safety during night driving. About 40 per cent of fatal accidents in Germany occur in the dark.
General Motors in 1999 became the first mass producer to offer the system in the Cadillac Deville. But in 2003, only 600 customers were prepared to pay 2,500 dollars extra for the system which GM then removed from the market in 2004.
The BMW night vision system includes an infra-red camera that monitors the road up to 300 metres ahead. Images are projected onto an onboard monitor with objects illuminated according to the warmth they emit.
The DaimlerChrysler system has two infra-red sensors situated in the headlights which also recognises objects that do not emit body warmth. The images are projected onto the onboard computer. However, night vision is limited to a distance of 150 metres and is not effective in fog.
Siemens VDO is currently working on an advanced night vision system that projects images in a head-up display in the windscreen so that the driver need not take his eyes off the road. The system is expected to be ready in 2008.
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