Edge detection is fundamental for intelligent vehicle applications, directly supporting ADAS functions such as lane detection, obstacle recognition, and scene understanding. The conventional Canny edge detection method exhibits notable shortcomings, especially in color-image processing, adaptive threshold selection, and preserving edge integrity under noisy conditions. In this study, we present an enhanced Canny edge detection framework tailored for ADAS-oriented intelligent vehicle systems, incorporating a quaternion-based weighted averaging scheme for color preservation, adaptive thresholds derived from gradient-amplitude histograms, multiscale edge localization via scale multiplication, and a novel gravitational-field-intensity operator for improved gradient robustness. Moreover, we extend the method to vanishing-point estimation an essential ADAS capability by performing precise intersection calculations combined with clustering techniques such as DBSCAN and RANSAC. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm markedly outperforms traditional approaches in edge clarity, localization accuracy, and noise resilience, underscoring its promise for strengthening ADAS perception modules in intelligent vehicles.