No Auto-on Headlights in US: Mystery Solved

I believe I figured out why the auto-on headlights were disabled in the U.S. on the Prius. It became crystal clear when the Lexus hybrid was introduced. Why would someone want to buy a pricey Lexus hybrid when the Prius gives you basically the same "luxury" features and at a higher mpg? So they had to do something, and getting rid of the auto-on lights was one of the things they did to solve the problem. I guess they couldn't get away with disabling it in Canada due to the DRL circuitry, laws, and/or dumb people not knowing whether their real lights were on or off, etc. But all U.S. Prius sedans that have a sensor on the dashboard can be wired up for auto-on lights. It requires stringing a wire from that sensor, to your ECU and another wire from the ECU to ground (you might want to put a switch here too). The ECU itself is not disabled in anyway. BTW that sensor has a three purposes that I know of. It is for adjusting your AC temperature lower if it senses direct sunlight coming into the car. That's why the AC is too cold at times.. look at the senor, is direct sunlight shining on it? The third purpose controls interior dash dimming. This was disabled when they removed the auto-on wire and should be re-enabled once autolights are restored. So all Prius drivers can thank the Lexus hybird for not having auto-on lights and having to suffer with a too dim dash during the day if their headlights are on, i.e. when it rains. Yeah I know you can dial up the dimmer, but that gets old after awhile whenever it rains, and then you get blinded it night. lol