Ford adding blind-spot mirror to Edge this fall

updated 6:32 p.m. ET Aug. 6, 2008

DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it will introduce its new blind-spot mirror this fall on the 2009 Ford Edge crossover.

The automaker had planned to bring the mirror to market next year but moved up the date after getting so much positive feedback, said Kelly Kohlstrand, a member of Ford’s advanced product marketing and technology planning team.

Ford also is in a race with General Motors Corp. to bring the technology to market. Blind-spot mirrors will be a standard feature on some versions the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse crossover, which will start production in September, according to GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan.

Kohlstrand said the mirror will be a standard feature on the Edge and will be added to other vehicles in 2009.

On both the Edge and the Traverse, small mirrors that give drivers a view of the “blind spot” alongside the vehicle sit flush in the outer corner of the side mirrors.

Kohlstrand wouldn’t say how much the feature will cost Ford, but he said it’s less than the retail cost of the small convex blind-spot mirrors that many drivers attach to their vehicles.

Ford said its blind-spot mirror will weather the elements better than aftermarket offerings, and it also is specifically designed for each car or truck model to provide an optimized field of view. The factory-installed mirror also meets a federal standard that requires original-equipment driver’s side mirrors to be flat.

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