Five discussions were organised as integral parts of the DVN Seoul Workshop. In each discussion, renowned minds gathered to debate particular topics relevant to our field— a detailed recap of each discussion will be included in the DVN Seoul Workshop report to be published next month.
Panel 1, automakers. Chairman: Rainer Neumann
The panelists were Audi’s Wolfgang Huhn, Hyundai’s Geum Woo Youn, Jean-Philippe Benoist from Renault, Hitoshi Nakagaki from Nissan, Ralf Schäfer, and Jean-Paul Charret .
– The first topic addressed automakers’ lighting strategy for the future. All automakers regard lighting as a major lever for styling and safety, but answers differed according to market sector. The premium brands seek innovation in appearance, while mass-market brands go for styling differentiation compatible with price constraints.
– The second topic concerned the timeframe for laser light. All agreed the technology is very expensive and is today applicable for long-range driving lamps for high speed, useful in Germany but not in Japan (for example). LED, on the other hand, has strong benefits in every aspect of styling and design, as well as low power consumption, long life, and the trendy blue-white appearance; LEDs are soon to totally supplant halogens in Japan.