Night vision systems for cars have been around for several years but they're still a rarity among mainstream models.
That's starting to change and Volkswagen is the latest mainstream brand to introduce the tech.
VW is introducing it as an available feature in its redesigned Touareg SUV, which sadly isn't coming to the United States. (We get the Atlas instead.)
An infrared camera integrated at the front of the vehicle picks up heat coming from a living organism. It can detect animals or pedestrians more than 400 feet away and shows them as a highlighted yellow object in the digital instrument cluster.
As the vehicle approaches, the driver will receive a red warning light if the current speed is below 31 mph. Above this, the normally yellow highlighted objects will turn red. The vehicle will also give the driver an audible warning and pre-set the brakes to provide the highest deceleration rate.
Touaregs also fitted with the new SUV's available LED matrix headlights will flash light onto a person in a potential danger area when the vehicle is traveling at more than 37 mph. This function only works outside of urban areas where there is low light, and only a spotlight will flash at the person to avoid dazzling them.
