Mr. M

Festive lighting is all around us, but some sources are much more unusual than others.


Car maker Audi, for example, has used LED illumination to spectacular effect in its new R8 sports car, which will not only pierce the night sky with a total of 24 front-mounted LED driving lamps and 186 LED brake lights, but will also shed light on a component that is rarely visible – the engine.

Due to be launched by the Vorsprung durch Technik brand next spring priced from £76,725, the 187mph 2-seater is available with an optional interior light package that not only includes Light Emitting Diode (LED) cabin illumination, but also bathes the engine compartment in LED light, drawing onlookers’ attention to its powerful eight cylinder unit through its clear glass ‘bonnet’.

On the outside, the 24 LEDs also conspire to create a remarkably distinctive and immediately recognisable front view. Inspired by the design of the Sydney Opera House, the R8’s head lamp units incorporate 12 LED daytime running lights on each side that follow their pronounced curves. Combined with bi-xenon dipped and main beam head lights, and a total of 186 LED tail lights, they will not only give the R8 maximum road presence, but will also enhance safety for the driver and surrounding road users.

Audi UK Director Jeremy Hicks commented: “The importance of seeing and being seen on the roads is obviously brought into sharp focus at this time of year, and with its new LED technology our new R8 will be pretty hard to beat on both fronts. With the help of Audi innovations such as the quattro four-wheel-drive system we have always strived to deliver high performance as responsibly and safely as possible, and this hugely impressive lighting technology underlines that fact yet again.”

Customer deposits for the new Audi R8 have been taken by the UK Audi Centre network since its world public debut at the 2006 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris in late September, and these have already accounted for all right-hand-drive production slots allocated right through to mid-2008.

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Tumbo

Damn, I wonder what happens when some of these little leds stop working?
How do you change them?

Just_me

Well, all I know, I dont think its going to be cheap to change them

Mr. M

I guess these LEDs can last the lifetime of the car.

Just_me

they say the same about XEON lights but still they broke sometimes

Tumbo

Well, let's hope so, cause mine rear led lights will arrive soon

Mr. M

You're changing the rear of your A4 lights to LED? Good decision... Check this A6 out, it looks beautiful with the conversion:

Tumbo

Yeah man. I can't wait until they arrive. About one more weeks wait.
These are the ones I got:

Yannis

LED lights normally last many thousands of hours some say even 100,000.

martinbo

Heh, that's Xenon lights JM. XEON is the name of an Intel processor. If cars had XEON lights we'd spend half our time driving in darkness using a third of the engine power to drive the cooling fans for the lights