CAR lighting has advanced in leaps and bounds since that breakthrough of the halogen bulb displacing the 7-inch sealed beam headlight.

And Audi has been putting its signature on automotive illumination for years – who can forget those first LED daytime running lights (DLRs)?

After the UK’s shortest day, Audi’s lights add to the Christmas illuminations with advanced lighting now available for more models than ever before – and they haven’t stopped.

Low energy, high intensity LEDs are now available across the board for all Audi models, whether in the form of daytime running lights (DRLs), all-weather LED headlights or Matrix LED units, the majority of which are standard depending on the specification chosen.

Innovative laser lighting is also already starting to make its presence felt, initially in the form of spotlights for the new Audi R8 super sports car.

Audi has long been a frontrunner in the field of automotive lighting and, true to form, the Vorsprung durch Technik brand is now ensuring that its most sophisticated developments are accessible on more of the UK range than ever before.

The most sophisticated headlamp already rapidly proliferating in the range is the Audi Matrix LED unit, which provides maximum illumination of the road and maintains a constant high beam without dazzling other road users.

The adaptive unit is notable for operating fully electronically with no mechanical parts – instead, individual light-emitting diodes in each unit can be individually lit or dimmed in an instant, effectively diverting their beam around leading and oncoming traffic. 

The Audi Matrix LED headlights also assume the function of cornering lights, shifting the focal point of the light through the bend by selectively brightening or dimming. Spookily, they do this shortly before the wheel is turned – based on predictive route data provided by the MMI navigation plus system.

Matrix LED for all-new A4 and beyond

Fitted as standard to all A8 Sport, Edition 21 and W12 models, as well as to the 520 PS S8 and 605 PS S8 plus, the Matrix LED technology has also now extended to six of the 11 Audi model lines currently available to order, including the all-new Audi A4, A6, A7 Sportback, Q7 SUV and TT.

All models fitted with Matrix technology also feature front and rear dynamic indicators, which ‘sweep’ sequentially in the direction of intended travel in the space of just 150 milliseconds to alert surrounding drivers to the intention to turn significantly more effectively.

Advanced all-LED headlamp units can also be complemented in some Audi models by laser beams. The all-new R8 V10 and V10 plus super sports cars are available with laser spots which activate at 37mph to double the range of the high-beam light.

Each of their headlight units incorporates a module with four powerful laser diodes that are just 300 micrometres in diameter.

Matrix laser – the next step

The next step will be Matrix laser headlights, which break the light beam down into tiny pixels to illuminate the road in high resolution and with precise control. The DMD (digital micromirror device) technology that Audi uses in the Matrix laser headlights is also used in many video projectors.

At its core is a matrix of hundreds of thousands of micromirrors. With the help of electrostatic fields, each individual micromirror can be tilted up to 5,000 times per second.

DMD technologies make it possible to create a nearly infinite number of light patterns. The car can thus generate the ideal light for any driving situation. The technical possibilities are virtually unlimited.