Does the image above look familiar? It should. It’s the Sport Quattro Concept that Audi showed off last year. So what’s it doing back on the stage? Take a close look.
Audi fanatics are likely to notice the headlights. They’re lasers! The new technology is supposed to further increase visibility over HID and LED headlights. The laser headlights will still use LEDs as low beams but the actual lasers will take over high beam duties. And they will be tiny. Each laser is “a few microns in diameter” and will be three times as bright as LED headlights. They are expected to be capable of lighting about a half a kilometer down the road.
According to Audi CEO Rupert Staller, the laser headlights are already set to go into production quite soon. The first model expected to get them is Audi’s electric sports car, the R10 E-tron.
BMW has already announced that lasers will be available on their i8 sports hybrid although Audi is already claiming victory in the race saying, “we will be the first car brand to put laser light into production.” Both cars are expected to go on sale later this year, so it will be a tight race.
Here’s the kicker. North Americans are not likely to see the German rivals equip North American spec’d vehicles with laser headlights anytime soon. Currently, the US Department of Transportation needs to give approval and apparently the process is taking a lot slower than expected. In fact, BMW i8’s are available with lasers headlights as an option abroad but they will not be offered as an option in North America because of this.
That said, here in Canada, we may be able to bypass the US Departments approvals as the free trade agreement Canada signed with Europe allows for the importation and sale of vehicles not sold here such as French and Spanish vehicles which are not sold here due to regulations such as lighting for instance.
What do you think of laser hadlights?
