The redesigned TT will be the Audi’s second model to offer matrix LED headlights when it arrives in showrooms in October.
The automaker hails the lights, first introduced with the latest A8, as a major safety development.
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Matrix LED lights are an electronic anti-glare main beam system which give the driver maximum night time vision while avoiding blinding other road users.
They work by dividing the LED light cone into 12 segments which switch off individually and automatically as necessary when a forward facing, onboard camera detects other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians ahead or approaching from the opposite direction.
Audi describes them as “like the difference between a manual typewriter and a high-speed computer” when compared with conventional halogen headlights. They will be offered on other models as they are updated or replaced.
The automaker says that at night, 96% of the information absorbed by the driver’s brain comes from vision – but 25% of all road accidents in Germany happen at night.
“The eyes are the bottleneck,” said lighting expert Jurgen Wilhelmy.
The matrix LED lamps are electronically rather than mechanically controlled for greater reliability and are linked to the navigation system so that they can anticipate when the car is leaving built-up areas for country roads or approaching a corner.
This means that swapping from dipped to main beam and turning on the cornering light function – achieved by dimming some sections of the light pattern and intensifying others – all happen automatically.
