New Audi A1: We Light Up the Dark: Episode 3 - VIDEO FEATURE

Audi moves into subcompact segment for first time with A1

• Sporty: The Audi A1 is ready to go
• Headlights with LED daytime running lights give the car character
• The wings of an eagle inspired the design of the lights

Episode 3 in a multi-part video series on the design and production of the new Audi A1

INGOLSTADT - January 21, 2010: Can a car look concentrated and decisive? Yes, it can. The headlights play an important role in this; they are the eyes of a car, so to speak. People convey emotions such as happiness, joy and sadness with their eyes. On a car, the lights influence the character of the front end – and this also applies to the Audi A1, which in future will be the smallest member of the Audi family.

The innovative LED lighting technology provides the designer with completely new levels of freedom. And on the A1, the headlights display decisiveness and concentration, similar to an athlete poised in the starting blocks – with a sparkle in the eyes.

“On the A1, the front gets its character from a completely new form of LED daytime running lights. We have given our newcomer the sportiness of the R8 and the elegance of the A8,” says André Georgi, light designer at Audi. “The new LED technology with fiber optics enables us to draw extremely precise, continuous lines. In this way complex graphics are created in the interplay between the daytime running lights, the turn signals and the dipped headlights.”

The form of the daytime running light, also known as the “wing”, was inspired by the lightness of an eagle’s wing on the A1. The dipped headlight is incorporated into this graphic element. The turn signal is located a little way below the “wing” in order to ensure that it is easily visible.

Audi plays a leading role in the automotive industry with regard to the development of LED light systems. All models can be ordered with LED daytime running lights; the Audi R8 and the new A8 can in fact be ordered with full LED headlights. The daytime running lights have become a striking hallmark of the Audi family. The technology is very efficient, has impressively high light intensity with a pleasant “color temperature” and an almost unlimited lifespan.

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CLICK HERE to watch Episode 4 - An All-Around Successful Design