EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter about Canadian supply giant Magna International was sent to and appeared in the Aug. 29, 2022 print edition of Automotive News, a sibling publication of Automotive News Canada.
TO THE EDITOR:
I read the coverage of Magna International’s “Breakthrough Lighting” with mixed emotions (“New thinking about vehicle backsides,” July 25). On the one hand, I think it looks really sharp and could add some exciting differentiation to vehicles, the same way that consumers can change interior lighting colors. I’d also like to be able to add messaging to replace bumper stickers and for automated safety messages like “your distance behind this vehicle is below standard safety norms.”
The mixed emotion part is the potential for increased driver distraction. I already stare at some of today’s innovative taillight designs. I look forward to seeing how it all plays out. In advance, I’d like to set my brake lights to concentric ovals and display my turn signals as arrows.
LINCOLN MERRIHEW, Global head, brand and marketing, Pulse Labs, Boston, Pulse Labs provides human factor insights to help automakers and others optimize the in-cabin consumer-technology relationship.