Deals and wheels

A round-up of the latest car reveals, consumer issues and hot deals.

Dacia bolsters its line-up with SE Twenty special editions

Dacia has introduced a new special-edition SE Twenty grade to a number of its models, bringing heightened equipment levels and a distinctive exterior.

Available for the Sandero Stepway, Logan MCV Stepway and Duster, order books for SE Twenty models are now available. It sits above Comfort specification in all three ranges.

Each car features trim-specific decals along the bottom of the doors as well as gloss black mirror housings. For both Stepway cars, a blue centre cap features on their 16inch wheels while the 17-inch alloys on the Duster benefit from the same treatment.

Inside SE Twenty variants, blue mesh fabric seat inserts have been added to the package while the respective 'Duster' and 'Stepway' logos in the backrests of the front seats are finished in the same colour. Blue inserts also feature around the air vents and floor mats.

In the Sandero and Logan, a reversing camera has been added to the standard equipment list for SE Twenty grade while the Duster benefits from a multi-view camera with parking sensors and Blind Spot Warning.

Bosch unveils digital sun visor aimed at improving driving visibility

Bosch is aiming to revolutionise the humble sun visor with new AI-based technology.

The Virtual Visor is designed to reduce glare behind the wheel without compromising on the view of the road ahead.

Using an LCD display combined with a driver-monitoring camera and artificial intelligence, it's able to analyse the driver's view ahead and block segments of light rather than a blanket approach a conventional sun visor does.

The theory here is that rather than having a large slab that constantly blocks the road ahead, using small panels within a screen will allow large chunks of the road that would otherwise be hidden to remain visible while also eliminating glare just as effectively.

Jason Zink, Bosch in North America technical expert, said. "We discovered early in the development that users adjust their traditional sun visors to always cast a shadow on their own eyes. This realisation was profound in helping simplify the product concept and fuel the design of the technology."

Bosch claims that glare from the sun causes twice as many car accidents as any other weather-related condition.

Steffen Berns, Bosch Car Multimedia president, said: "For most drivers around the world, the visor component as we know it is not enough to avoid hazardous sun glare - especially at dawn and dusk when the sun can greatly decrease drivers' vision. Some of the simplest innovations make the greatest impact, and Virtual Visor changes the way drivers see the road."