Let There be Light: LEDs to Trickle Down to More Mainstream Models

It wasn’t too long ago when LED (light-emitting diodes) lights were a feature one could only find in the top end premium cars. Today, they have become cheap enough to be produced in large quantities and as a result, are storming the car market.

LEDs are much more energy-efficient than conventional halogen bulbs because they do not generate light from heat. For example, a Visteon-designed LED headlight for a Bentley requires only 15 watts for the low beam, whereas an equivalent halogen bulb needs 65 watts to do the same job. They last longer as well; about 10,000 hours or 10 times longer than a halogen unit.

According to a forecast by London-based L.E.K. Consulting, by 2016, 29 percent of all vehicles made in North America will be fitted with LED taillights – an increase of 10 percent compared to this year.Taillights have become a style statement", says Steffen Pietzonka, vice president of marketing for Hella, which produces LEDs for Audi. Over the next four years, a lot of entry-level and mid-sized vehicles will have LEDs. It offers huge styling opportunities.

Styling aside, LED brake lights also offer a safety advantage as they light up in just 200 milliseconds, which is much faster than conventional units, and thus are able to warn following motorists much earlier.However, LED daytime running lights like the ones pioneered by Audi, will be less common because they require heating systems to keep the silicon from overheating. As a result, they cost nearly four-times more compared to xenon units (US$60-80 compared to $20).

L.E.K. Consulting predicts that only 1 percent of NA vehicles will have LED headlamps in 2016, while 12 percent will have xenon headlights.

The safest and most stunnig Volvo ever

Sporty crossover
Volvo’s new crossover vehicle boasts an exciting mix of two car styles and steps boldly into what is the motoring world’s toughest and fastest-growing segment. Sporting capable XC muscles, it combines a strong athletic body with high ground clearance and large wheels, while the flowing lines create the sporty charisma of a coupe.

Volvo XC60
This car is charged with more emotive form and more energy than any other Volvo. We’re elevating our design DNA to an entirely new level by literally turning up the visual volume. If you say that you’d recognise a Volvo from a hundred metres away today, I dare say the XC60 radiates a clear Volvo presence from at least twice that distance, says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.

City safety standard on the new Volvo XC60
A variety of intelligent safety systems are another important part of the new Volvo XC60. The major news is City Safety – a unique system that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks. If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.

We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. City Safety clearly shows that the new Volvo XC60 is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. The car is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision, says Fredrik Arp.