Vauxhall Insignia: The car that can see

Another extremely clever feature is the new Adaptive Forward Lighting system. According to Vauxhall, this automatically adjusts the headlamp beam distribution to the prevailing road profile and visibility conditions. Nine lighting modes are available, including Pedestrian Area Light mode, which kicks in when you need to exercise extreme caution, driving between 5km/h and 30km/h, say, in a car park.

Other modes include Highway Light, Adverse Weather Light -- activated in rain or snow to keep track of the lines on the road -- Static Cornering Light, Dynamic Curve Light, High Beam Light and High Beam Light Assistant. That last feature is particularly useful on the motorway. If you're hurtling along with full beams on, the system's camera recognises the headlamps or tail lights of other vehicles and automatically switches the headlamps to low beam to prevent blinding other road users.