Lighting is indubitably a key styling element. Most automakers at the Beijing auto show presented new vehicles with lit logos, grilles, and bumpers. Opel, Mercedes, Audi (in China particularly), Nissan, and Mazda are all integrating light in grilles and logo.
The question is no longer if, but how to illuminate the grille, the logo and the bumper in an attractive manner while meeting the regulations—the 75mm distance rule and 100-cm2 logo area limit in ECE countries, the logo symmetry in China, the prohibition in North America on impairment of mandatory lamps. These things aren’t just left to caprice and whim; they involve thoughtful coöperation and careful decisions on questions and factors like:
- How to work with the supplier ecosystem? Some lamp suppliers don’t make grilles; some bumper suppliers aren’t developing lamps.
- How to succeed despite technical constraints? Pedestrian protection, low-speed crashworthiness, reparability, power consumption.
- How to integrate new technology? Compression tools, films, PU coating, in-mould electronics.
- How to share work between automaker lighting team and supplier teams on a common component? Responsibility for the component development and sourcing.
At DVN, we’ve predicted an equipment rate of 20 per cent for lit logos and lit grilles in 2030. But when I saw all the newly-released vehicles last week, it occurred to me that rate may come faster. 15 years ago, LED penetration was widely underpredicted. Will it be the same for front fascia lighting? Let’s watch and see!
Sincerely yours,