VW LED Lights for Added Safety

Press Release

LED lights are on the advance at Volkswagen. The Golf Plus is the first vehicle in its class to be fitted with LED lights. This innovative technology has also been consistently implemented in the new Passat's position, brake and turn signal light functions.

LED lights have been around us for a long time - in orange, red, yellow or blue. In a car's cockpit, for example, because LEDs (Light-emitting Diodes) are particularly suitable for use in display illumination in vehicles. They are fitted in locations in which constantly replacing bulbs would be laborious and expensive. In the Golf Plus and the new Passat, this technology is now also being used in the area of the rear lights. Volkswagen first implemented LED technology in the impressive rear lights installed in its luxury-class saloon, the Phaeton.

Technology transfer which not only looks optically appealing and high-quality, but which also offers convincing arguments as regards safety. Thanks to their light intensity, which significantly outstrips that of conventional lights, the lighting systems fitted in Volkswagen's most recent models are very quickly noticed by other road users.

One major argument for using LED lights is their higher switching speed. LED lights are based on semiconductor connections, which convert current directly into light. In practical terms, this means that, whilst the bulbs previously used in vehicles take a few hundred milliseconds to light up after being switched on, LEDs respond almost immediately once current is flowing.

This time difference may offer a vital safety margin, particularly at high speeds, because it means that one's own vehicle can be seen faster and better by other road users. Accordingly, vehicles following on behind are able to react faster and better to possible hazards.

Further advantages in favour of LED technology in the automotive industry include its clearly defined radiation characteristics, its lower power consumption, its long service life and insensitivity to vibrations.