Xenon Plus: more light for the Audi A8 and S8

New-technology xenon light now also available for high-beam headlights.

From July 1999, a new dimension of xenon lights will be available as an option for the Audi A8 and also for the S8.

The newly developed Xenon Plus System extends the familiar advantages of xenon light - high light intensity, long range, wide illuminated zone and homogenous light distribution – to the high-beam headlights. A further safety advantage is that the new gas-discharge headlights cast intensive light that is very similar to natural daylight very evenly over a distance ranging from close up to 400 metres away and thus protect the driver’s eyes against fatigue for much longer.

A dynamic, fully automatic headlight beam throw adjustment system and the larger light aperture protect drivers of oncoming vehicles against dazzle.

In contrast to other concepts, on the Audi Xenon Plus there is no shutter blocking off part of the light beam; the xenon tube is pivoted into the correct position in the reflector by means of a quick-acting electromagnet. This means that the full amount of light is always available.

As a further advantage of this adjustment feature, which responds within 120 milliseconds, the change between dipped and high-beam headlights is correspondingly gentle and kind on the eyes. The glass bulb with a 4.3 millimetre long arc of light is reliably restored to the dipped position by a spring inside the adjusting magnet.

These lights always illuminate precisely the section of road that needs to be seen: the wide zone covered by the dipped-beam headlights picks up features towards the kerb particularly well, the high-beam headlights assure an optimally illuminated range thanks to their high light intensity.

Further aspects of the concept are the new halogen parking lights and additional reflectors with a powerful H7 light source that specifically set a guiding spot of light at the upper edge of the high-beam light cone.