The modern automotive consumer is more discerning than ever before. Even those of us concerned with performance often look at other features on cars that we’ll have to live with as our daily drivers. How the cabin of a car feels is especially important, as this is where you’ll spend all your time, but have you ever stopped to think about how the ambient light coming in to your vehicle will affect your driving experience? Ford does.

The blue oval recently put out a release regarding their high performance lighting lab, and the 2015 Mustang. This domed lab is used to recreate virtually any lighting scenario imaginable so that engineers and designers can test various materials and technology. These tests range from ensuring that gauges are legible under the full range of lighting conditions, to making sure pieces like the new aluminum dash panel on the 2015 Mustang don’t cause excessive glare that could make it difficult for the driver to see.

Lights in the dome itself are used to create a variety of outdoor conditions, while four 1,500 watt bulbs on a moveable steel arm are moved around the car to replicate a bright light source such as the sun or even approaching headlights.

“With the Lighting Lab, we can ensure that the first time a buyer sits in the 2015 Ford Mustang, that person will be able to see the interior as the designers originally envisioned it – in the best light possible,” said Mahendra Dassanayake, Ford lighting technical specialist. “

The lighting lab can be used to recreate virtually any lighting condition anywhere on the surface of the earth. This is just one more way that Ford engineers are designing cars for a global marketplace, and ensuring owners get the best experience possible.