In an interview with ATZ, a German automotive technology magazine, Automotive Lighting’s Michael Hamm says LEDs have stylistic benefit and energy saving but Xenon is unbeatable on cost.
About the LED Audi R8, he said AL invested several million Euros and a lot of man hours over a period of 3.5 years. This time and money went for developing ideas and concepts which have already been tested and can be developed further.
As to the question on the future of LED headlamps systems, Hamm believes hybrid solutions mixing LEDs and other types of lighting will prevail for the time being. .
“LEDs will start as contours for headlights and will be used in indicators and DRL. Full LED will certainly also become more common where this makes sense from a design perspective”, according to Hamm.