At the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, Audi of America will debut its first U.S. production laser light on the 2017 Audi R8 V10 plus exclusive edition.
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Each headlight contains one laser module that operates with four high intensity laser diodes. Each module bundles these diodes into a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 450 nanometers. A phosphor converter then transforms the blue laser beam into a very bright and pure white light. The R8 exclusive edition is also the first Audi vehicle to couple the laser light with dynamic front turn signals.
An identifying characteristic of the laser headlights is their blue light signature in the headlight housing. The laser beam pattern, which is active at speeds of 40 mph and above (when conditions permit), supplements the LED high beam and greatly enhances visibility for the driver by projecting a low and wide beam of light on the road ahead. Audi laser light is the latest production technology in a long line of lighting innovations from the four rings.
Audi pioneered LED technology with daytime running lights on the Audi A8 L W12 in 2004 and all-LED headlights on the R8 in 2008. Lighting innovations such as dynamic turn signals, Matrix LED headlights and now laser high beams are prime examples of how Audi continues to set an industry standard for automotive lighting technology. Each exclusive edition gains a titanium black-optic exterior package which includes a gloss anthracite front grille and 20-inch 10-spoke-Y-design wheels in high-gloss anthracite finish.
The R8’s carbon sideblade gets a Solar Orange painted vertical stripe, complementing the racing shell seats, which also boast vertical orange leather elements. The full leather interior package in Black and Signal orange includes an Audi exclusive door sill trim in leather and a leather wrapped steering wheel with a Signal Orange 12 o’clock marker. Eac Quantum Gray is standard equipped with fixed backrest racing shell seats carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber rear diffuser, front lip spoiler, exterior mirror housings, and fixed rear wing spoiler.
A total of 25 Exclusive Edition units will be produced with a starting MSRP of $229,200. ■
