What if your rearview mirror could see through your backseat passengers' heads? We've seen cameras and screens integrated into cars in many ways over the years, but Nissan will make them front and center soon. Nissan's new Smart Rearview Mirror will launch next year, offering a blend of a traditional mirror with a full-color display. While other manufacturers offer functionality and information in their "smart" rearviews, Nissan's is hooked up to a wide-angle camera mounted at the back of the car. The idea is it can provide you with a clearer view of what's behind you, avoiding blind spots caused by pillars, and can also automatically adjust to avoid the glare of other cars' headlights.

You've been able to purchase similar systems from after-market third parties for a while now, and this type of feature has been commonplace in concept cars for years, but Nissan looks to be one of the first manufacturers to offer the system as a standard add-on for road cars. The company already offers Around View, a multi-camera setup that gives a virtual overhead view of your car's surroundings, but that system is mainly intended to improve safety when parking. Nissan says the system will come to cars in Japan in 2015, but the Smart Rearview Mirror will need to gain approval from local road safety agencies before the company can announce availability elsewhere.