Automotive News - March 17, 2008 - (Page 14b)

14B • MARCH 17, 2008 Escalade first vehicle to get full LED headlamps Lillie Guyer autonews@crain.com The case for LEDs High cost and excessive heat have limited the use of lightemitting diodes, or LEDs, in front headlights, but they are beginning to appear in luxury cars. Here are the advantages touted by LED advocates. About 25% brighter than conventional xenon lamps Color impression close to natural daylight Very low power use Life cycle 20 times longer than conventional lamps Night driving improved Reaches full intensity in 0.1 seconds Source: Hella USA Cadillac will introduce full lightemitting diode headlamps on the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum SUV — an industry first — when production starts in late summer or September. Costs roughly double those of regular headlamps, and problems with excessive heat have limited the use of LEDs in front headlights, but they are beginning to appear in limited use on luxury cars. Cadillac’s application of LEDs is expected to be the most extensive yet. “It’s the first vehicle worldwide, not just SUV, to execute a fully functional LED headlamp application,” David Schiavone, Cadillac global product manager for the Escalade, told Automotive News. “Fully functioning means that both lowand high-beam lights, side markers and light pipes are all LEDs.” Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., of Lippstadt, Germany, developed the full LED headlights with Cadillac. Hella also supplies front lighting to other General Motors brands, Ford Motor Co., Chrysler LLC and Nissan Motor Co. High-beam, left, and low-beam headlights on the new Cadillac Escalade Platinum SUV feature LED technology. lamps. “It’s the closest we’ve come to emulating daylight in a lighting system,” says Burkhard Hesse, lighting design development director at Hella USA. Low-beam lighting on the limitededition Escalade comes from five optical units arranged vertically and situated at the outer edge of the housing unit, for a vertical design that Cadillac sought. Two other free-form projection lenses for high beams are at the housing unit’s inner edge. “Hella is using new multichip LEDs as light sources for both low- and high-beam LED functions,” says Steve Widdett, executive vice president of auto sales at Hella USA. “LED technology makes new lighting possible with innovative styling.” Hella uses a high-performance ventilator to provide active cooling and ventilation of the LED chips, Widdett says. Hesse defends the extra costs of LEDs, arguing that they last longer than standard headlights. And, he says, costs will keep coming down. Efficiency gains of 20 to 30 percent are three to five years away, Hesse says. “It’s written on the walls,” he says. “This is the future of lighting technology for the premium market. You will see more volume in three to five years, and then it will enter the volume medium segment. Efficiency, volume and price decrease go hand in hand.” Added Cadillac’s Schiavone: “I think you will see LED technology on other OEM models in the next few years. As the technology moves into second and third generations and gets cheaper, it will become available on nonluxury models as well.” 1 in 6 Cadillac aims to sell 60,000 Escalades in 2009. Around 10,000 of those will be the content-rich Platinum Edition. Pricing is not available on the 2009 Escalade, but the 2008 Platinum without full LEDs starts at around $77,000, Cadillac says. After the Escalade Platinum debut, the technology probably will migrate across Cadillac’s lineup, Schiavone said. Audi and Lexus have introduced Close to daylight LEDs emit a white light approximating daylight, which is easier on the eye than bluish xenon projection beams or the yellow hue from halogen head- LEDs but in a more limited capacity. Lexus currently uses LEDs for the low-beam headlamp function only on the Lexus LS 600h. Audi offers the front LED lights on the R8 as an option in Europe only, says Christian Bokich, product technology manager at Audi of America Inc. “Currently, we have no plans or timeline to offer this on the R8 in North America,” Bokich says. The 2008 U.S.-market R8 sports car features standard xenon front lighting. It has LEDs as standard rear lamps, daytime running lights and rear brake lights. c SAE FOUNDATION BANQUET Thursday, May 22, 2008 6:30 p.m. • Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center MANUFACTURING LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE A special thank you is extended to the following banquet sponsors: for Science and Technology Education OUNDATION SAE lease join Detroit’s most distinguished leaders in industry as we present the 2008 Manufacturing Leadership Award to Alan Mulally, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ford Motor Company. P Alan’s notable determination and focus have served Ford well. Under his direction, Ford reached agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) on a new four-year national labor contract, which significantly improves the company’s competitiveness going forward. Ford also achieved $1.8 billion in cost savings in 2007. Additionally, Ford continues to align capacity to match demand and improve productivity in North America. Prior to joining Ford, he was executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Proceeds from the event will benefit math and science educational programs supported by the SAE Foundation. For more information, please contact the SAE Foundation at: Phone: 724-772-8593 SAE Foundation Fax: 724-776-0038 400 Commonwealth Drive email: ginny@sae.org Warrendale, PA 15096 Alan Mulally

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - March 17, 2008

Leases grow as alternative to long loans Toyota dealers balk at upgrades Up for grabs: China importer Testing Chevy's Camaro Escalade first vehicle to get full LED headlamps Hoops fans take a shot at China Toyota will cut Tundra, Sequoia production F-150's risk-reward strategy: Ramp up before the revamp As UAW, American Axle talk, CEO Dauch in Fla. Ex-GM purchasing executive indicted Court allows higher Plastech credit line Saab sticker prices rise as sales fall; will U.S.-built 9-7X offset losses? VW plant capacity in U.S.: 250,000 units Bad cruise control switch haunts Ford Continental plans to bring r&d in-house Rieter expects to increase its global footprint Stadler: Audi considers U.S. plant Another General charges into electric cars Toyota sees its first checkered flag as sign NASCAR's paying off A pickup may figure in Kia's future Analysts: Lampert no threat to AutoNation More likely to be spent to keep suppliers alive in '08 2 suppliers plan Alabama plants UAW seeks job guarantees to end American Axle strike Revolving door continues to spin at Nissan GM, top marketers to share research Electric power steering is grabbing the wheel Delphi completes sale of interiors unit to Renco Mercedes again is true-luxury king How electric power steering works It's time for dealer-factory collaboration Ford must close stores but remain open to diversity The small print Here's a question for Obama, Clinton Didn't you ever hear of a halo? Hurray for affordable performance cars Politics can age a car overnight Good for planet, good for GM What 'scientific consensus'? Lutz may be right but said it wrong Lutz had the courage to tell the truth Big Apple isn't very green 23 finalists in running for PACE honors Canada sales up 14.5% in Feb. RV shipments drop 7.1% in Jan. Wagoner: No sure thing on state air rules Conquest sales, Asia growth boost ADP Brockman: Reynolds focuses on service OEConnection links to ADP Geneva goings-on Judge: Dealer suit over transfer of GM franchise can proceed Honda will build Ridgeline in Alabama So who's running the show at Chamco? GM seeks Plastech tooling Federal-Mogul reports gains Chrysler sells plant to Fiat BMW's new sales boss Odell is named COO at Ford of Europe Strike dents GM truck output Tony Stewart blows a gasket Illingworth leaving — and staying with — Toyota A note to eager auto execs: Invaders sometimes get icy reception in Russia Hush, hush: Baby Nason on board For rent: Ford's PAG palace on the West Coast Chrysler cuts Calif. studio

Automotive News - March 17, 2008

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