MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 29DRIVEDRIVEWhile there’s always been a race to create the most
powerful and efficient headlamps and lighting
systems, lately this rivalry has increased to include
style as a consideration. No longer is it just about
pure illumination; it’s also about how your lights look.
LED technology has dominated the last few years;
and in terms of style, we’ve loved the Thor’s hammer
LED lights from Volvo, and the newish rear-light LED
bar you see on select Porsche models. But by far
our favourite lights we’ve seen (and driven with) are
the new laser lights with blue accents available on
the new BMW 8 series. The prototype was seen on
the i8, but now the whole 8 series offers them (at an
extra cost). These laser lights don’t just look good
- they also offer 10 times more light than traditional
Xenon or LED options, which means you can see
twice as far down the road, and spot pedestrians
and animals up to 90m away. This smart system
also automatically dims to avoid blinding oncoming
traffic, and uses GPS to light up turns in the road
better. They’re a harbinger of a bright future, thanks
to their high-tech inner workings; an intricate system
of mirrors combined with a chamber of yellow
phosphorus. Besides the lights, the car itself is a
stunner – a modern European muscle car that does
double duty, as a tarmac-eating tourer and a high-
performance sports car.
FAVOURITE DESIGN FEATURE: THE LASERLIGHT SYSTEM.
FROM R1 872 900 BMW.CO.ZADesign Trend:
SHINING A LIGHT INTO THE
FUTURE | BMW M850i 8 Series Coupé
LIGHT SHOW:
BMW's
LaserLight
system scores
on both
visibility
and style.