Once upon a time ... the rear window
03/26/2024
I would never have imagined that I would be writing this at some point. But now Polestar has actually done away with the rear window (on an SUV "coupé"!). Indeed! The Polestar 4 no longer has a rear window.
The Swedish manufacturer explains this groundbreaking innovation as follows:
"By removing the rear window and installing a rear-facing HD camera, the interior space and visibility to the rear are improved."
Now the Polestar driver may be happy about his high-definition view of the traffic behind him on the monitor, but as the driver behind, the story is quite different. Whereas you used to be able to see through the car in front (see Fiat 124 Sport Coupé above), you now drive blindly behind.
What is the point of having additional brake lights in the middle and higher up if you can't see them through the car in front of you at an early stage? In any case, the person driving directly behind a Polestar 4 will hardly benefit from these additional brake lights in future.
And I'm already beginning to imagine how a caravan of Polestar 4s will start to roll off even more slowly than usual at the green light, because everyone will only realize much later that there is movement in the convoy again.
Overall, I could well imagine that the number of accidents (rear-end collisions) will increase if this example sets a precedent. However, perhaps the emergency brake assist system will then help to prevent accidents caused by modern technology after all. Brave new world ...
