‘You can’t see out back,’ reveals expert as rear-windowless cars to hit roads – as makers claim it has ‘better view’
EXPERTS have warned “You can’t see out the back” but manufacturers of a car without a rear window claim it has a “better view.”
Polestar 4 will use a screen instead of a traditional rear window, with a camera mounted on the roof of the car.
The camera will stream a live feed of the road view to the screen in the car.
The Polestar designers’ idea is to use the camera instead of the rear glass for a better scope of vision.
Motoring journalist Quentin Willson told Sky News: “Rear windows on cars have been getting smaller and smaller, and as more consumers want more voluptuous shapes.
“You have a problem, because the window gets smaller and smaller and you have to have more headroom.
“So Volvo have done a really clever thing and got rid of the rear window completely and given us this new rear window on the world.
It’s bold, it’s challenging – that’s what we need in car design
Quentin Willson
“The car has been out in China since December and there have been no discouraging words.
“The argument is, I think, it actually gives you a better view because the camera is high definition, it’s a wider arc, and you see more than you would than through that grimy rear window.”
He added: “It’s bold, it’s challenging – that’s what we need in car design.
“We’ve been through a stage where everything was homogeneous and boring, and this is actually very revolutionary, so let’s welcome it rather than decry it.”
Reversing cameras are becoming more common on larger HGVs with dashboard screens showing the feeds.
The rear view mirror remains in its usual location and may be turned into a regular mirror.
For those who aren’t used to the new tech, there is an option to deactivate the screen element.
Jonathan Goodman, the head of Polestar in the UK, told the Times: “The visibility out the back of many cars is pretty constrained.
“The second you have a large passenger in the back, or any luggage, you can’t see anything out of it at all.
“If you place a camera there, the driver gets a far better field of vision.”
Polestar is a Swedish manufacturer of electric vehicles owned by Volvo.
Polestar 4 is expected to hit the roads in August of this year, with a price tag starting at £59,990.