Since Roller ushered in the latest version of its luxury sedan last year, the temple-shaped radiator grille has been lavishly illuminated with LED technology. It shines out like the famous Acropolis above the Greek city.
The luxury maker is in the vanguard of a current trend, says Frank Huber, who is responsible for the lighting division at German supplier Hella. "We clearly sense that manufacturers are looking more than ever for innovative lighting solutions to give their vehicles a unique character."
BMW kicked this off two years ago with the third edition of the X6, whose options list now includes an "Iconic Glow." As previously seen only on show cars, design studies and wildly-tuned vehicles without approval for road use, the Bavarians have fitted more than a dozen LEDs in the chrome frame around the radiator grille.
The light cascades down the chrome bars like a waterfall, the manufacturer explains. Additional LEDs in the frame provide a shimmer that makes the X6 unmistakable even at night without irritating oncoming traffic, says BMW.
Striking the right balance between glow and glare is not always easy: Rolls-Royce engineers report that the Ghost with its 20 LEDs in the radiator initially shone brighter than they would have liked. It wasn't until the firm opted to brush the back of the polished metal grille bars to reduce the reflections that they were satisfied with the appearance.
Today, such light effects are no longer the privilege of premium brands. When the Enyaq arrives later in 2021 as the first fully electric Skoda based on the Wolfsburg electric car modular system, it will also be available with a fully illuminated grille.
In doing so, the Czechs are actually killing three birds with one stone, explains design chief Oliver Stefani. "We're paying homage to the Bohemian crystal glass tradition, we're achieving a high level of recognisability, and we're showing at first glance that the Enyaq is something new and very special." Of course, "grille" is a misnomer since the car has no radiator connected to a combustion engine.
The Czechs are not alone. Other electric cars display light signatures stretching across the width of the vehicle.
Volkswagen's electrics from the Golf GTE to the new ID4 and Mercedes-Benz EQ models are distinguishable from their combustion siblings by a LED strip that runs across the front and connects the headlights. This means the new EQA will not be confused at night with a new GLA.
Designers like Mercedes stylist Gorden Wagener would be happy to install even more lights and he gazes enviously at world markets where, for example, the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed bonnet star is illuminated as a matter of course.
Wagener has experimented with hundreds of stars flickering behind the blackened grille of the Vision EQS study. "Regulatory authorities have been giving us very tight specifications here in terms of visibility and safety," he laments.
This is a good thing, says Hans-Georg Marmit of the German mobility safety organization Kues: "A multitude of different light source and a brighter front increase the risk of dazzling oncoming traffic."
Marmit is no fan either of retrofit LED lighting solutions available from accessory companies via mail order or on the internet. He also warns of possible consequences when cars are submitted for a roadworthiness test.
"If you install a system which has no type approval the vehicle inspector might declare is illegal and switch it off for good." In the United States police are apt to pull over cars with tricked out coloured lights which are not permissible in many federal states.
