These Audi Sportback SUV Tech Features Are Banned In The U.S. For This Reason

Audi has launched the second model in its all-electric e-tron lineup with the Sportback SUV coupe, but some of the features offered with the SUV won’t be available in the U.S. anytime soon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has banned the use of camera-based side mirrors as well as Audi’s new digital matrix LED headlights.

The technology behind Audi’s matrix headlights works by breaking light down into tiny pixels, which can be controlled with exact precision. The headlights are also able to use its cameras and sensors to identify obstructions in the road, to produce the illumination. According to Audi, this allows for safer lane-centering on narrow roads as it shows the position of the Sportback in the lane.

In the U.S., these high-tech headlights are illegal as only low-and high-beam headlight operation is allowable on vehicles, according to the NHTSA federal regulations. According to CNBC, Audi has been working with regulators to approve the matrix LED headlight system for a while now as it looks to bring it to market in the U.S.

“The legal situation is a bit strange and it makes it difficult to plan,” Stephan Berlitz, head of lighting innovation at Audi told the news outlet. “The rest of the world will get this system. There’s only one country that doesn’t have it.”

Beyond the new tech features of the Sportback, the all-electric SUV delivers 300 kW of power and has a driving range of 277.1 miles on a single battery charge, which the automaker contributes at least 6.2 miles to the vehicle’s aerodynamics.

Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen (VOW3.DE), will begin taking orders for the Sportback at the end of November with market introduction in Europe slated for Spring 2020. Audi will produce the Sportback at its Brussels plant with base price starting at € 71,350 ($78,977) in Germany.

Shares of Volkswagen stock were down 1.03% as of market close on Wednesday.