The infamous laser headlights are finally making their appearance on the US-spec Audi R8 through a special edition. That being said, the FDA approved the use of similar tech on the BMW i8 last summer, so Audi is late to the party.
The particular model that has upgraded beams is called the R8 V10 plus exclusive edition and is still part of the 2017 model year roster. That means it should be available immediately, but not before the official unveiling at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show this month.
Typical for this era of technological excess, the lasers aren't going to be used all that much. The regular beams still use the same LED system as before, but high beams have more power and reach thanks to the lasers.
Each of the two modules features four high-intensity laser diodes that get concentrated into a single blue beam of 450-nanometer wavelength. After that, a phosphor converter turns it into a pure white light.
The R8 exclusive edition is also the first Audi vehicle to couple the laser light with dynamic front turn signals, so that's something the R8 LMX didn't have.
So what else is new? Well, the exclusive edition also has Quantum Gray paint and the titanium black optic exterior package which includes a gloss anthracite front grille and 20-inch 10-spoke-Y-design wheels in a high-gloss anthracite finish.
As you might have noticed already, the carbon air blades get an orange paint stripe, a color that is used in combination with black for the interior. Custom door sills and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a Signal Orange 12 o’clock marker complete the look. A total of just 25 exclusive edition units will be produced with a starting MSRP of $229,200.
To fluff this story a bit, we'll mention that Audi has been playing with lights for as long as we can remember. The A8 L W12 was the first to use LED daytime running lights in 2004. Full-LED headlights on the 2008 R8 was also a big deal. But perhaps their best work was the availability of Matrix LED headlights almost across the range... as long as you don't live in America.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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