Audi has pulled the cover up on its upcoming new R8 and, like a pinup hiking her dress to tease a thigh, the revelation is tantalizing, but not very revealing. At least, not of the car itself. It does, however, showcase the new headlights Audi plans to use.
They have lasers.
The new LED lighting on the R8 features an option for a laser spot high-beam. Before you get all Han Solo in your dreams of an R8, though, the technology is diffuse, not pinpoint, so you won’t be taking down any Storm Troopers with these things.
They work by utilizing high-intensity laser diodes to create focused laser light from small components to create a sort of wide-beam laser for the high-beam lighting on the new R8. What’s better is that it uses the already-standard 37 LEDs used on the headlight, no lighting need be added.
Although this is revelatory, it’s not breathtaking since Audi already showed this lighting concept on the R8 LMX back in 2014 and the e-tron quattro at Le Mans. They just needed an excuse to lift the skirts on the upcoming R8 and show us a little leg. Oh and this laser lighting? Only available in Europe.
