Motor vehicle laws in most countries across globe have made it mandatory to turn on the headlights one half hour before sunset and one half hour after sunrise, also while using wipers. New cars do have automatic sensors to turn on the headlights, but that happens way after these prescribed timings; during twilight.

To make car headlights come on nearly 30-40 minutes before sunset, Nissan has come with a better system that does exactly this and reduces the risk of any accidents that may be caused due to lack of correct visibility. By increasing the sensitivity of the illumination sensors and revising the control logic that determines the need of turning on the headlights, the Smart Auto Headlight can differentiate between a sharp decrease in the light like getting into a tunnel and a gradual decrease like at the time of sunset. The system does not come on while under the shadow of a tree or under a building.

Nissan plans to commercialize the Smart Auto Headlight system within this year and also plans to replace the existing system in all of its models.