Evolution of Light
Interactive headlights and tail light clusters help to raise the bar for safety in future
Innovative Volkswagen lighting technology is helping to boost safety. At the same time, it is also opening the door to increasingly personalised vehicle design. At an international workshop, Volkswagen is now showcasing how the lighting systems of the future will communicate and increase safety even further.
Volkswagen’s engineers and designers use all of the technology available to them to improve safety with innovative lighting technology. One of their goals is to enhance the lighting functions in current vehicles and, as a result, improve road safety in the present day. This development work has culminated in the IQ. Light matrix LED headlights in the new Touareg, for example, which improve comfort and safety when driving at night. However, lighting designers and engineers have an eye on the future, too. The assisted driving cars of tomorrow will confront road users with new everyday situations – such as a lack of eye contact with drivers.
Research vehicle with exterior HMI for 360-degree communication: road users will be informed via LC-displays at the vehicle.
This technology also enables new assist systems such as “Optical Lane Assist” to be brought to life. In this system, the headlights project lanes in front of the Touareg, giving the driver precise information about the width of the SUV (including trailer) and the distance to the road lane markings, for example at road works. The lanes also follow the radii of curves. Such useful and safety-enhancing lighting functions are being tested with the HD-LCD headlights.
Interactive tail light clusters for added safety
New systems such as the matrix tail light cluster will also revolutionise tail lights.
Matrix tail light clusters will allow warnings to be incorporated into the tail lights, for example, enabling dangerous situations, like the area at the end of a traffic jam, to be defused using car-to-car communication.
New assist functions, such as the micro-lens-based “Optical Park Assist” system, will improve safety while manoeuvring. This system will be able to project the vehicle’s path onto the road to alert passers-by to the parking process.
In-house Volkswagen light tunnel reduces development times
To make sure it is suitably prepared for the challenges of the future, Volkswagen has opened its own centre of lighting excellence at the Wolfsburg plant. A 100 metre long, 15 metre wide and 5 metre high light tunnel has been in operation there since then in the heart of the Volkswagen world: its Research & Development division.
Volkswagen Center of Lighting Excellence
In this tunnel, Volkswagen is using road simulations to test its lighting systems for today, tomorrow and beyond using road simulations. The tests can be reproduced and repeated. As a result, systems can be compared and evaluated in a light tunnel better than ever before. The centre of lighting excellence is also an ideal place to investigate how drivers and pedestrians perceive light. The light tunnel has also reduced the development time for new headlight, tail light and interior lighting systems, as the number of time-consuming night drives can now be reduced. Progress in light development can thus be implemented even more quickly into series production technology – increasing safety for the benefit of all road users.
Press Releases
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Interactive headlights and tail light clusters help to raise the bar for safety in future
Innovative Volkswagen lighting technology is helping to boost safety. At the same time, it is also opening the door to increasingly personalised vehicle design. At an international workshop, Volkswagen is now showcasing how the lighting systems of the future will communicate and increase safety even further. -
Maximum light for maximum safety: Volkswagen relies on ultra-modern LED headlights
Wet conditions, fog, deer crossing – drivers face particular challenges in autumn and winter. The latest lighting systems which almost perfectly illuminate the road are proving helpful. Volkswagen has been focusing on the evolution of light for decades. The technical highlight of this development is the “IQ.-Light - LED matrix headlights” used on the Touareg. -
Let it shine – how Volkswagen brings cars to life with lighting design
Halogen, xenon, LED, laser and OLED – in just two decades, lighting technology and lighting design for vehicles have undergone revolutionary change. In addition to functional aspects such as enhancing visibility in traffic, headlights nowadays also have an emotional component. Lighting design can give a vehicle, like people, a face with its own expression and individual personality. This development will significantly influence the work of Volkswagen designers in the coming years. -
Volkswagen launches European marketing campaign for new Touareg
Volkswagen is taking the next step towards the market launch of the new Touareg. Since June 1, a 360° campaign including TV, printed media and social media channels is to be launched in Germany. Other European countries are to follow from mid-June. The Touareg is the brand’s new flagship and will occupy a leading position in the luxury SUV segment with its innovative operation, comfort and safety systems. The campaign designed by Grabarz & Partner presents these features in an appealing and humorous way. -
Technology highlights of the new Touareg – Part 1: Night Vision protects people and animals when driving in the dark
The new Touareg will be released onto the market packed with a range of innovations designed to help minimise dangerous situations. The new Touareg is the first Volkswagen model available with the Night Vision assist system. A thermal image camera (infrared camera) integrated at the front of the car registers infrared radiation coming from a living organism. If this camera detects people or animals, the assistant warns the driver within the limits of the system. This reduces the risk of endangering pedestrians, especially when away from well-lit city streets.
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Stefanie Blabl
Communications Vehicle Electronics, Connectivity and Automated Driving
Tel. +49 (0) 5361 / 9-14079