Audi’s next generation tail lights

IN June 2020, the next generation of a lighting technology premiered in the Audi Q5: digital OLED technology. With organic light-emitting diodes (so-called OLEDs), Audi was a pioneer as far back as 2016. Now digitalisation is ringing in a new age.

This technology promises to improve road safety and is the first to allow for personalisation of the tail light signature.

OLED light sources are panel radiators – unlike point light sources such as LEDs using semiconductor crystals.

There are many benefits of OLEDs including their light being extremely homogeneous. It is infinitely dimmable and achieves very high contrast. It can be split into segments.

Q5 customers opting for digital OLED technology have a choice of three signatures in the tail lights when purchasing their car. In the ‘dynamic’ Audi drive select mode, the lamps additionally switch to another signature.

In the new Q5, Audi has implemented a proximity detection feature for the versions using digital OLED tail lights. When another road user approaches a stationary Q5 from the rear within less than two metres, all the OLED segments light up. When the Q5 starts to move, it returns to the original light signature.