Why the left side of display uses a mirror?

One of my Cadillacs had part of the instrument panel reflected in a mirror and I never found out why.

 

My best guess would be something to do with the car being exported to countries with left vs right hand steering. It probably eliminates making two different displays .

 

My best guess would be something to do with the car being exported to countries with left vs right hand steering. It probably eliminates making two different displays .

 

My SWAG would be that they use the mirror so that it looks like the speedometer is further away than it really is, so you don't have to focus your eyes so close when you read it (and then have to refocus far away to see the road).

Or maybe they just thought it looked cool.

 

I would second macman408's take on this. Also it probably makes the steering wheel button display simpler.

 

Macman408's response makes sense, although my interpretation is that it brings the speedometer and the farther-off, right hand side of the display (for a LHD vehicle) into roughly the same focal plane.

 

From what I understand, the reason for the mirror is to be able to transpose the TouchTracer steering wheel button displays over the fuel and iMPG displays.

 

Now that makes sense. I'll have put my hand over the display and touch the steering display button.

 

To make the speedometer visible under all lighting conditions, the projection design was used.

Notice how it never washes out regardless of the viewing situation?

 

Did and the fingers block the mirror image, but not the touch tracer display.

 

Yep, sure did.

 

OK, so I haven't had my Prius for very long, but so far, I've just looked at the display and thought "wow, there are like different planes in there..." So it's mirrors? I've never had a car with a digital display before, and many of the things in this car are still pretty mysterious to me. What's the deal, where are the images coming from?