Jul 27 2007
The GTC concept car from Opel combines stunning design with exceptional safety.
This sports coupé offers impressive performance and the latest that the lighting industry can provide, namely high-power LEDs from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.
LEDs are used for all the exterior lighting on the Opel GTC concept car. These tiny light sources are now so powerful that only a few are needed for all the exterior lighting. Parking lights and daylight running light are provided by Golden Dragon LEDs; two OSTAR LEDs are used in each headlight for the dipped beam, with three further OSTAR LEDs in each headlight providing the high beam. Each fog light is equipped with one OSTAR LED.
The use of thin-film chips has meant that numerous OSRAM LEDs have been given a huge boost in brightness which makes them more and more suitable for exterior automotive lighting. These LEDs are extremely robust and have a life of more than 50,000 hours, which means they will last as long as the car. What's more, these small light sources make a significant contribution to road safety. LEDs come on brighter and much faster than incandescent lamps, which can make all the difference between a crash and a near-miss if the driver suddenly has to brake. Red TOPLEDs were chosen to give the four classic instruments on the dashboard of the show car an accent color. They give the cockpit a reddish glow which goes perfectly with the stylish red design accents.
These small compact light sources give car designers new freedom to give the front and rear light clusters an eye-catching make-over. The front of the Opel GTC is a good example with its large vertical air intakes and trapezoidal grille giving it a smooth yet aggressive appearance. With the high-power LEDs from OSRAM the Opel GTC concept car is further proof that these small light sources are fast becoming the lighting of choice in the car industry – for both interior and exterior lighting.
http://www.osram-os.com