Valeo adaptive rear brake lights emphasise BMW 6-Series stopping power

Frankfurt, Germany, September 11 -- The new BMW 6-Series coupé specifies innovative rear brake lights supplied by Valeo that get bigger and brighter when the driver brakes hard.

A joint development by Valeo and BMW engineers, the new adaptive rear brake force lighting represents a significant contribution to road safety, not just for the driver but also for drivers following a BMW 6-Series car.

"The new BMW 6-series will be appreciated for its many innovative technologies," said Thierry Morin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. "It is an honour for the engineers and technicians that they were able to contribute their expertise in light control electronics and rear light cluster design know-how."

When a BMW 6-Series brakes normally, following drivers will see the brake lights illuminate. When braking is severe, the brake light is bigger and brighter as additional light-emitting diodes are activated. This feature is a valuable road safety benefit. It quickly alerts following drivers to adjust the severity of their own braking action when, for example, fast-moving traffic unexpectedly comes to a sudden halt.

Within each of the BMW's two triangular-shaped rear light clusters, electronics control the operation of 26 fast-acting LEDs. Fifteen of them illuminate under normal braking and a further five, positioned at the top of each light cluster, are activated during severe braking by signals received from a sensor measuring deceleration. The remaining six LEDs feed optic light-guides for the rear tail light. Other rear light functions - the direction indicator, reversing and rear fog lights, use conventional incandescent bulbs.

LED technology for rear lighting is a high performance solution with a range of benefits. It offers car makers opportunities to achieve distinctive styling for each car model and to exploit the numerous lighting combinations that LED technology offers. The faster response time of LEDs contributes to road safety and their long life makes LEDs a consumer-convenient alternative to conventional rear light cluster designs.

Valeo, the world's number one producer of lighting systems, will be among the first to make this technology available to car drivers. The BMW 6-series, expected to be available at the end of 2003, will also include other Valeo systems such as alternator and steering column lock.

Valeo is exhibiting at the 60th IAA International Motor Show on stand D02 in hall 8.

Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and trucks. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 130 plants, 54 R&D centers, 9 distribution centers and employs 69,000 people in 25 countries worldwide.

Malene Pickles +33 1 40 55 20 74 Email: malene.pickles@valeo.com