The Evolution of LED Lighting Technology

In recent years, Audi has pioneered advancements in LED lighting, first with the automatic high beam function, increasingly featured in luxury models, in "Matrix LED Headlights" and then, in the new "R8", offering " Laser High Beam" which boasts twice the illumination range of LEDs.

Now, Audi has announced on April 1st its latest technology for communicating with its surroundings via headlights: "Audi Matrix Kaomoji LED Headlights."

New "A4"This feature, available as a 500,000 yen option on the new "A4," monitors the driver's physical condition using sensors embedded in the steering wheel and seats. In the normal mode, indicating good health, it displays "＼(^o^)／" with LEDs above the headlights. As fatigue increases, it transitions to dull mode, changing the display to ";( ´ Д `)" and alerting other traffic.

Furthermore, an optional "Active gratitude assist rear" is available for the rear at 250,000 yen. This operates solely in thanks mode, allowing the driver to express gratitude directly by displaying "(人´ ∀ `)" on the rear combination lamps when, for example, another car yields the way.

The developer of this groundbreaking option stated, "Japanese emoticons are highly expressive and we adopted them because we felt they were suitable designs for other drivers to instantly understand the driver's condition. We hope these lights will promote communication and safety among drivers."

Audi has launched a special website (http://www.audi.co.jp/kaomoji) to strongly promote this innovative feature, exclusively for "April 1st."