Blind-spot monitoring or warning is not a new system in the automotive world, having been invented by Volvo (who else?) in 2007, where it is known as BLIS. But now Kia is taking the tech to the next level with Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM), a feature of the forthcoming all-new Sorento Mk4.
High-res video feed
The BVM is enabled by the fitment of the fully digital 'Supervision' 12.3-inch instrument cluster on the fourth-gen Sorento. It is linked to the indicators and works on both sides of the vehicle, irrespective of being right-hand or left-hand drive, and it displays a high-resolution video feed from the door mirrors - looking backwards - in place of either the speedometer or rev counter for a brief period (the video feed will replace the hybrid system gauge in Sorento Hybrid models).
BVM will still allow the vehicle's speed to be displayed while the feed from the wide-angle, high-resolution cameras is shown. Kia says that BVM gives a wider viewing angle than the mirrors themselves, to give a better view of any vehicles moving up into the Sorento's blind-spot areas.
Watch it at work
Kia will make BVM available as part of an optional package, including Surround View Monitor and Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist (PCA), as well as a Bose Performance Series audio system. To enjoy said package, buyers will first of all have to purchase a Sorento equipped with Kia's Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) function, which is the first step in the Korean manufacturer's blind-spot monitoring technology and which operates like BLIS and other proprietary set-ups in the active safety market. Kia's Supervision cluster, by the way, should be standard-fit on all European Sorento Mk4s.
We'll bring you full spec and pricing details on the Sorento, as and when Kia releases such information, but for now you can watch a very brief video of BVM in action, right here.