NEW VISION @ GENTEX

Creating a vital ADAS partner through home-grown R&D and manufacturing in (of all places) western Michigan.

On first glance, it appears to be a passive rectangle of reflective glass. But the full-display mirror, or FDM as its maker Gentex Corp. calls it, comes alive when you start the vehicle. In the Cadillac CT6, XT5 and Chevrolet Bolt EV where it debuted in 2016, the FDM pulls an image from a rear mounted, high-definition camera and streams it onto an LCD display embedded in the mirror module.

The result is a high-value safety feature: enhanced, real-time video of the scene behind the vehicle. It's presented in a 40° field of view-more than double the lateral scope of a traditional optical rearview mirror. Because the driver is actually seeing through the rear-mounted camera, the FDM makes the vehicle's roof pillars and rear seat head rests disappear to the eye. The view is unobstructed.