Cadillac Mirror

Cadillac's prototype rearview mirror capable of live-streaming an image from a camera mounted on the rear of a vehicle Tuesday, December 9, 2014 in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Rob Widdis for General Motors)

(Rob Widdis)

DETROIT, MI - New technology debuting on Cadillac's forthcoming CT6 luxury sedan will give drivers a better view of the road around them.

That's according to General Motors, which said a patented, high-resolution streaming video added to the luxury brand's rearview mirror will help drivers see past typical obstructions.

"The closest comparison to this kind of rear vision would be driving a convertible with the top down," Travis Hester, Cadillac CT6 executive chief engineer, said in a release.

The in-mirror display has a 1280-by-240-pixel TFT-LCD display with 171 pixels per inch. That combines with a high-definition camera that is designed to enhance rear view lane width.

Cadillac researchers and engineers have been awarded 10 patents in connection with their work on the technology. One of the patents is for the streaming video mirror, and nine others are for video processing.

Glare reduction, camera hardware design and actual image calibration are among the items covered in those patents.

The video-laced rearview mirrors improve the field of vision by 300 percent, GM said. Nevertheless, the rearview mirrors will have a toggle switch so that drivers can flip back them back to being a regular, electrochromatic mirror, if they so choose.

GM announced in September it would begin building the rear-wheel-drive Cadillac CT6 beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015 at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant as part of a $384 million investment there.

The new luxury sedan. meant to set and define a new direction of the Cadillac brand, will make its debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.



The CT6 will be positioned above Cadillac's current CTS and ATS models. Cadillac said the model name comes from its use of CTS for its centerpiece carline. The CT6 moniker signals a shift toward more simplified nomenclature for future models.

David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter