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Aston Martin combines cameras and mirrors to give drivers maximum visibility

Stephen Edelstein
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Aston Martin and Gentex camera system CES 2020

A sleek sports car looks cool, until you have to back it out of a parking space. As a purveyor of stylish sports cars, Aston Martin is acutely aware of this problem. So, the company teamed up with automotive supplier Gentex to develop a camera system that provides a greater field of view than ordinary mirrors. Even James Bond’s Aston Martin doesn’t have this feature, which will make its debut at CES 2020.

Some automakers are trying to replace exterior mirrors with cameras, but Aston Martin and Gentex went for an all-of-the-above approach. Small cameras are mounted on a car’s existing siFollow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.deview mirrors, while a third camera is mounted on the roof. A feed from all three cameras is shown on the rearview mirror, which doubles as an LCD screen. The driver can switch between mirrors, cameras, or a combination of both, according to Aston Martin. The sideview cameras also move automatically when the driver adjusts the mirrors, the automaker said.

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This setup is a more elaborate version of the streaming video rearview mirrors already available on some cars. In a Chevrolet Bolt EV or Nissan Armada, you can flip a switch and transition from the standard mirror view to the feed from a rear-mounted camera. This new version splits the rearview mirror into three sections, showing the view directly behind and to the sides. That’s a lot of imagery crammed into a small space, so it’s unclear how well this will work in the real world.

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At CES 2020, Gentex and Aston Martin will show off a prototype version of the camera system on a DBS Superleggera. In a press release, Aston Martin indicated that this tech could be used on future production models, but did not offer any other details. Gentex did supply a simpler version, with a single rearward-facing camera only, for the limited edition Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato. Just 19 of these cars were made, and they were sold in pairs with replicas of vintage Astons. Each set was priced at a cool $7.3 million.

Aston Martin isn’t just recycling its past, though. The automaker recently unveiled its first SUV and its first motorcycle, and is branching out into electric cars.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

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