Audi has been installing its matrix LED technology in some US vehicles for almost a decade, but the function was turned off. In February 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) amended the safety standard to allow for adaptive driving beam (ADB) lighting similar to Audi's system.
"The US had a specific regulation that only allowed for a high or a low beam, but nothing in between," Audi said in a statement. "A new regulation was passed that allowed for adaptive beam lighting. However, the ruling also established differing requirements in terms of testing and certification than the globally accepted and SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) informed solution. This is the solution we have offered outside of the US since 2012."
"The new regulation requires different testing procedures, methodologies, and criteria than the rest of the world and it appears no current systems can meet those requirements," Audi added.
Interestingly, safety groups cautioned NHTSA against this very thing years ago. "We are concerned that specific components of the [amendment] will unnecessarily prevent manufacturers from implementing ADB systems that fully realize their potential to maximize visibility and minimize glare," the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a 2018 petition.
"Our lighting standard, FMVSS No. 108, has long balanced the seeing needs of drivers while limiting glare to others," NHTSA said in a statement.
The Audi Q6 E-Tron offers additional features with its active lighting, such as different front running light designs and a warning triangle display on the rear OLED taillights to alert drivers of traffic jams or accidents ahead.
The US-spec Q6 E-Tron will have different LED running light signatures, but they will be static, without the full functionality of the active lighting available in other regions.
Audi hopes that if the US evolves its lighting standards to match those of the rest of the world, it will be able to activate the full matrix feature set for thousands of vehicles, including older models.
Source: Motor1
