Lumileds LEDs used in Audi headlights
Unveiled this week at the Detroit Auto Show, the Audi A8 6.0 is the first production vehicle to feature headlights that incorporate LEDs.
The automobile’s daytime running lights feature Luxeon LEDs from US-based Lumileds Lighting.
The Luxeon LEDs create a distinctive cloverleaf-shaped daytime running lamp (DRL) within the headlamp assembly, marking the first appearance of LEDs in front lighting in a production vehicle after years of use in other automotive lighting components.
Each headlamp in the Audi A8 6.0 incorporates a module with five white Luxeon LEDs arranged in a five-point pattern, like the five spots on a dice, to form a combination daytime running lamp and night-time position lamp.
The Audi headlamps were assembled by Germany-based Hella. The daytime running lamp is expected to be just the first step of a transition by automobile manufacturers to LEDs being used in all headlamp components, including high and low beams.
LED headlamps have previously appeared in concept cars such as the Ford Model U and the Audi Nuvolari.
