Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 150

ECONOMIC REPORT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
150 >>
Another major focus of our engine development work is on the
Audi ultra models. These stand for driving pleasure with the best
possible fuel economy. The 2.0 TDI ultra in the new Audi A4
Sedan, for example, uses an average of 3.7 to 3.9 liters of diesel
per 100 kilometers while developing 110 kW (150 hp) of power,
equivalent to CO2 emissions of 95 to 101 g/km.
The following award is, among other things, a reflection of our
innovative strength in engine development:
>International Engine of the Year:
The 2.5 TFSI engine in the Audi RS3 Sportback captured the
“International Engine of the Year” award in its class for the
sixth year in a row (www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/
results.php?id=18).
// LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY
Audi has been promoting the development of automotive
lighting technology for many years now. We have brought
innovative lighting technologies into series production, from
xenon plus headlights through Matrix LED headlights to laser
lighting. As prominent design features, our headlights not only
fundamentally define the appearance of our vehicles, they also
increase safety and comfort by illuminating the road more
effectively.
The new Audi A4 and new Audi Q7, for example, can be config-
ured with Matrix LED headlights. MMI Navigation plus gives the
driver access to such features as the intelligent cornering light
– the headlights draw on the familiar route data to cast their
beam into a bend even before the steering wheel is turned. Also
new with Matrix LED headlights in the Audi A4 is an automatic
anti-glare function for road signs. The road signs are specifically
illuminated with reduced intensity to prevent strong reflections
that could dazzle the driver.
Since the 2015 fiscal year, LED headlights equipped with a laser
spot have also been optionally available in the new Audi R8. The
laser spot supplements the LED high-beam headlights above a
speed of 60 km/h, bringing the driver major benefits in terms
of visibility and safety thanks to the increased range.
Further information on lighting technology can be
found in the magazine section on pages 100 ff.
In the past fiscal year, Audi presented the next step in the
development of automotive lighting technology in the shape
of Matrix Laser headlights. Audi uses digital micromirror de-
vice (DMD) technology for the new Matrix Laser headlights. At
its core is a matrix of hundreds of thousands of micromirrors,
whose edges measure just a few hundredths of a millimeter in
length. With the help of electrostatic fields, each individual
micromirror can be tilted up to 5,000 times per second. The
light is projected onto the road according to the settings of the
individual mirrors. Thanks to DMD technology, the car can
generate the right light for any driving situation. Targeted
light helps the driver to stay in the lane when passing through
construction zones, for example. The high-resolution light can
also pick out important traffic signs and largely prevent glare
to other road users with high precision. The DMD can also show
recommendations for more energy-efficient and safer vehicle
handling by projecting symbols onto the road.
At the 2015 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Audi
presented the next stage of automotive lighting technology
with its Matrix OLED (organic light emitting diode) lights –
soon to go into series production – in the Audi e-tron quattro
concept. The OLED light achieves a new standard of homoge-
neity, can be dimmed with infinite variability and casts no hard
shadows. What is more, the new lighting technology is light
and efficient, and requires virtually no cooling. Matrix OLED
technology combines advanced technology and design. By using
flexible substrates that can be shaped three-dimensionally, it
opens up new creative scope for our designers.
To make further headway with the future development and
testing of innovative lighting technologies in the future, we
opened a new Lighting Assistance Center in Ingolstadt in the
past fiscal year. Its drivable underground light tunnel provides
us with fresh scope specifically for the development of innova-
tive lighting solutions and camera-based lighting assistance
systems. At 120 meters in length, it is the biggest drivable light
tunnel in Europe. Our engineers work closely with designers
and motorsport colleagues at the Lighting Assistance Center.
We are thus able to ensure that new ideas can be adopted in
series production even more quickly and also that we obtain
valuable input from arguably one of the toughest testing envi-
ronments in the world, the racetrack.
The high regard in which Audi lighting technology is held is
reflected by a variety of awards. We received the following
prizes in the past fiscal year, among others:
>Red Dot Award: Best of the Best:
The Matrix LED headlights in the Audi TT received the “Red
Dot: Best of the Best” for highest design quality and pio-
neering design in the “Red Dot Award: Product Design”
(red-dot.de/pd/online-exhibition/work/?lang=en&code=28-
05765-2015&y=2015&c=166&a=1002).