The 2015 Geneva Motor Show is just around the corner and the faucet of information is starting to drip information from the automakers. The latest to drop a press release and a teaser was Audi.
In the past few weeks the four rings has been commanding quite a bit of attention as spy shots and rumored leaks have shown us more of the latest German supercar. While we posted that image of the rumored next-gen R8 in a garage bay, we're still not sure if that was the real deal or not.
Unfortunately, the teaser below doesn't exactly make it clear either unless this is the V10 Plus model and we only saw the V8 U.S. variant sans laser lights. At this time we will NOT get the lights as there are some issues with the Department of Transportation.
The GOOD news though is we're still getting our first look at the all-new R8 set to appear in Geneva.
Buckle up, boys and girls, it's going to be a helluva ride.
Audi's press release follows:
Audi reveals laser headlights for the new R8
- New mid-engine sports car features high-tech headlights
- Laser high-beam offers high light intensity and excellent range
- Editor’s note: Euro-spec availability
International release from AUDI AG
Currently not available on U.S. models
Audi is revealing the headlights of its new R8 as the first of a number of technology highlights of the top sports car. The R8 uses LED headlights which can be supplemented by a laser high-beam lighting module as an option.
The new R8 will set new standards among high-performance sports cars – including in its lighting technology. As an option, the latest car development by Audi can be equipped with a laser spot as the high-beam headlight. The special appeal of laser lighting is that it uses high-intensity laser diodes, which generate a lot of light energy from a very small component. Compared to LED high-beam headlights, laser high-beams attain nearly twice the lighting range.
Each headlight contains one laser module that operates with four high-intensity laser diodes. This module bundles the four intense blue-light laser beams. Then a phosphor converter transforms the blue light into pure white light. An identifying characteristic of the laser headlights is their blue light signature. Standard equipment in the new R8 includes an LED headlight system. All lighting functions are produced with 37 LEDs per headlight.
The laser spot for the high-beam light made its debut in the summer of 2014 in the Audi R8 LMX, a limited edition model of the previous R8 model series. Shortly before that, it was used in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The laser spot is the latest production technology in a long line of lighting innovations. Audi introduced LED technology to the market for the first time in 2004 – in the daytime running lights of the Audi A8 L W12. Lighting technologies such as LED daytime running lights, Matrix LED headlights and laser spot high-beam lights are prime examples of technology that visualize the core values of the Audi brand: progressiveness, sportiness and sophistication.
