The Los Angeles auto show this year was one surprise after another—almost all of them favourable.
A few automakers were absent, but most established and new marques were on display. The show filled two big halls and felt much like a good old full-scale pre-pandemic event.
There was tremendous variety in design and configuration; lighting has gained great traction as the primary main vehicle exterior design and style anchor. That stands to reason, in context of the tight constraints exerted on most other aspects of vehicle design by aerodynamic and regulatory considerations. Of course, there are also regulatory constraints on lights, some of them worth grumbling about because they serve only to block American motorists from enjoying the safety performance and style of lights allowed everywhere else. Nevertheless, the vehicles on display in LA showed that lighting engineers and designers are stretching their imaginations in new directions.
Some overspanning themes we noticed:
- The small number of halogen headllamps was notable for the first time in over half a century; the last time, in the mid-1960s, it was a new technology just on the way in and up; this time it’s an old technology on the way out and down.
- Hidden headlamps are back, in a modern way. They used to be mechanically hidden behind doors or in fold-away housings; now they’re discreetly hidden optics in blacked-out compartments, often recessed and placed down low in the bumper fascia.
- There’s more and more branding in lights, with words and symbols. Examples include Chevrolet’s bowtie-shaped side marker lights, and Lordstown’s “LMC LED” taillights.
- Amber turn signals and side turn signal repeaters are still fashion choices rather than basic safety equipment on the North American regulatory island, and progressive illumination of turn signals is prohibited no matter what colour they are, despite research demonstrating a significant conspicuity benefit. So, automakers light the whole turn signal all at once, then progressively extinguish it—no conspicuity benefit over regular turn signals, but on the other hand it’s not prohibited.
Trends Exemplified at LA Auto Show
Innovative Appearance:
Styling Influence:
