back to article Audi shows off OLED-illuminated concept R8

Reg Hardware Car Week It's all very KITT, of course, with a bit of Batmobile tossed in for good measure, but here is Audi's plan for taking OLED car lighting - inside and outside of the vehicle - to the max. Based on an R8, the Q7 concept shows how design teams can have lots of fun building tech into vehicles that may never …

COMMENTS

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  1. Thomas 18
    FAIL

    Isn't the point of an indicator light...

    to tell everyone you are turning? If we have to scrutinise some abstract animation an overpaid designer came up with then your going to get rear ended.

    1. Natalie Gritpants
      Thumb Up

      Re: Isn't the point of an indicator light...

      Agreed. Please can someone mandate separate orange indicators front and back. Some front indicators are invisible due to being made of an orange bulb with a clear plastic lens. In bright sunshine the amount of light bounced back from the reflector swamps out the lamp.

      Same goes for rear-light clusters where the massive braking lamp power makes the tiny segment of orange cleverly hidden in the middle invisible.

      1. frank ly
        Thumb Up

        Re: Isn't the point of an indicator light...

        Also, many front indicators on modern cars are swamped out by the intense, almost point source, light from xenon headlights (the function of which is supposed to be to illuminate the road ahead over a wide area, not to blind other road users).

      2. ChrisC Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: Isn't the point of an indicator light...

        Spot on. I long ago lost count of the number of times I had to abort a maneouvre (both when behind the wheel and as a pedestrian) because the flashing of a clear-lensed indicator was completely undetectable and the body language of the vehicle to which it was attached didn't give any clues as to its impending and sudden change of course. The first few times it happened I just assumed it was someone driving around with ancient bulbs on which most/all of the amber coating had faded/flaked away, but I pretty quickly learned that *every* damned vehicle with clear-lensed indicators was a threat to my safety. Horrible, detestable, pretty much at the top of my personal hit-list of things I'd love to ban from the roads, pieces of form over function crap...

      3. TheOtherHobbes

        I think

        regs already exist for brightness and clarity.

        So this eye candy is unlikely to pass them.

  2. Dan 10
    Thumb Down

    Name

    " the Q7 concept" - did they _really_ give it the same name as an unrelated production car?

  3. jake Silver badge

    Ugly.

    And useless.

    Tell me again why cars are so bloody expensive these days? Methinks so-called "designers" cost more per hour than engineers ... especially when they don't understand the concept of actual over-the-road motoring.

    1. Bill Neal
      Unhappy

      Re: Ugly.

      Just what audi needs! more electronics to fail

  4. jungle_jim

    attention seeker

    You know those tshirts you see people wear with a light up whatever on them that lights up to the music?

    this is the same thing on a car.

    may aswell get look at me painted on the side.

    1. Asiren
      Trollface

      It's an Audi...

      Your point being...?

  5. jungle_jim

    actually

    you know those cars that look like they have crashed into halfrauds?

    this is like an upmarket version of the ones with lights underneath them hahah

  6. /\/\j17

    "Audi admitted that commercialising such jiggery pokery will take years"

    Unless you consider using LED-only lighting on their R18 Le Mans prototype race cars commercialising it of course...

  7. My Alter Ego
    Facepalm

    Can't wait for all the Kevs pimping up their One-Oh-Saxs with these.

    1. Kevin Gurney
      Stop

      Oi. Do you mind.

      No Saxo in the "Kevs" garage thank you.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a waste of money

    Somebody has way too much budget to spend...

  9. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    An Audi with bling LED lights plastered all over it?

    Is there a "Y" in the day or something?

  10. Seanie Ryan
    Black Helicopters

    naff

    How utterly crap and tacky does that stuff look. Impressive to a 5 year old or a boy racer with the usual style and taste that make a 5 year old blush.

    "with a bit of Batmobile tossed in" The batmobile would never allow itself to be desecrated like that.

    ( i am standing firm here that the Joel Schumacher films never existed. )

    if i saw a car with the animated lights i would deliberatly ram the car. see how much that costs to fix! ha

    1. Mike Moyle
      Coat

      Re: naff

      "if i saw a car with the animated lights i would deliberatly ram the car. see how much that costs to fix! ha"

      ...Or keying, if one happens to be a pedestrian...

      (Not that I would recommend anything illegal, of course... *a-HENH*!)

      1. A 31
        Facepalm

        Re: naff

        That's the spirit, if you don't like something, just damage it, how do people dare have different taste than yours, I hope the owner likes your face if he catches you doing it.

        You must have the empathy of a spanner.

        As for the OLED on cars, well, it will come, and we'll get used to it, some troll will have nothing more interesting to do than criticise it (when I don't like someone's car, I tend to think it's their choice, since I don't have to drive it, it's does not bother me).

  11. tanj666
    Thumb Down

    and in the end ...

    it's still an audi so it's going going to owned and driven by cocks ...

    ... nuff said

  12. Dave 126 Silver badge
    Meh

    'Concept' cars usually appeal to one's inner 13 year old...

    ... and their function is to shock and amaze, thus drawing attention to the brand. Like 'haute-couture' fashion, the link to what the consumer will be offered is tenuous. The budget can be considered marketing- just as sponsoring a motor-sport team is.

    Still, I completely agree that headlights and rear lights etc need regulating- there are too many tossers with these blinding white headlights, for other reason than they think it makes them look cool.

    But why haven'it we got more use of Daylight Running Lights, a la Volvo? I know there was a large study done in Australia that strongly suggested they would improve safety. In this country, it's untrue how many (especially grey or silver cars!) don't turn on their side lights when conditions are misty, murky or otherwise less than optimal.

    1. Figgus
      Facepalm

      Re: 'Concept' cars usually appeal to one's inner 13 year old...

      Daytime Running Lights need to be banned as well. Use the system motorcycles use: ignition on, lights on. Period.

      I see far too many knuckleheads tooling around at night with only the DRLs going because they have their dash lights cranked way down and don't notice the difference.

      While we are at it, how about mandating yellow turn signals front and rear (hello, Detroit, wake up) and a minimum of 2 "bulbs" per function so that if 1 bulb burns out you still have an indicator/marker.

      Automotive lighting is a real mess, at least in the US.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the blue strips are

    for?

    ... talking about, I suppose. There's no bad publicity, so why didn't they stick something long and and glowing pink into its rear?

    1. Dr. Mouse
      Joke

      Re: the blue strips are

      "There's no bad publicity, so why didn't they stick something long and and glowing pink into its rear?"

      It's an Audi. If it ever reaches the road, it will already have a dick inside it.

    2. Graham Dawson Silver badge

      Re: the blue strips are

      The dildo is meant to sit in the driver's seat.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Just imagine

    How cool a cop car would look :)

  15. Code Monkey

    Vorsprung Durch Arsehole

    You really don't need fancy lights to telegraph you're a complete tool. The Audi badge does that well enough already.

  16. b166er

    You stuffy old gits, I thought that looked really good :D

    No sound here, can someone tell me, was that rear light projecting the safe stopping distance onto the road behind?

  17. Harry

    Re "regs already exist for brightness and clarity".

    Regulations and enforcement are, sadly, two different things.

    We already have a regulation which says (probably in more technical terms in the official version) that dipped headlights should not dazzle a person whose eyes are 3 feet from the ground. Yet many many times I've seen the bright and sharp silhouette of my head projected against the sun visor from the dipped headlights of the car behind. That clearly wouldn't be happening if the anti dazzle regulation had been enforced. But I've never heard of a single instance where a driver has been prosecuted for doing it.

    We should be installing headlight sensors on stretches of straight road.

  18. HMB

    Dr Pimp Called

    He wants his prostitutes back.

  19. Jim 59

    Lights

    Hey look we stuck some lights on it

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Missing something

    The vehicle in the picture seems to be missing some things:

    1) A big old wing on the back - too high to actually spoil the lift of the car, and certainly not sturdy enough to stand up to high speed.

    2) A big old phart-pipe muffler, preferably chromed, with LEDs circling it.

    3) Blue "ground effect" lighting.

    4) No "Type R" stickers, no "NOX" stickers

    5) With those wheel covers, how can you show off your rims? Or the little rubber bands you call tires around them?

    6) "No Fear" is missing from the window

    Come on guys, know your market!

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    options pack

    Expect to see this offered as part of the 'Bell-end' options pack on all Audi models

  22. strangefish
    Childcatcher

    can i have it rigged

    to flash up something meaningful like ""you are too close moron" for use on the motorway at night? Although I suppose his front panel would just flash back "traf dlo uoy yaw ym fo tuo teg"

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