With the new digital lamps on the Q9, Audi is turning the car lamp from a lighting device into an intelligent system that improves safety and communicates with its surroundings.
According to the public relations office of Modern Industry Research Group, Audi has unveiled the third generation of its digital OLED lamps, the first in the automotive industry to use a three-dimensional curved structure.
The technology, now in production on the Audi Q9, uses ultra-thin glass just 0.1 mm thick. This makes it possible to design lamps with complex curves that follow the lines of the car body.
The rear lamps are made up of 512 independently controlled light segments across six OLED panels. They can show a range of light patterns, warning signals, and dynamic visual effects.
One of the system's main functions is warning other drivers when the car brakes hard, comes to a stop, or meets a hazard. Beyond providing light, the lamps take a more active part in road safety.
At the front, Audi uses Digital Matrix LED technology, with 25,600 micro-LEDs in each module. By shaping the beam precisely, the system adapts the light on the road to driving conditions and can even project guidance symbols onto the road surface.
Automotive industry experts see technologies like these as a sign that lighting is moving towards intelligent, software-driven, and customisable lamps, a direction that could change how car lamps are designed and made around the world.