July 2, 2022 – Lighting on the outside of cars has always been delivered by dedicated fixtures that interrupt the rest of the car’s design around them. Enter so-called Breakthrough Lighting from auto tech giant Magna.
It embeds invisible light elements into almost any plastic body panel, which comprises a growing percentage of the modern car body. When needed, the embedded lighting becomes visible. When not, it disappears. Car designers and their employers love any option that gives them more power to differentiate from the other guy.
Magna says Breakthrough Lighting technology will be ready for production in 2023. That doesn’t mean a carmaker will, or even could offer it that soon. Federal lighting regulations have a lot to say about automotive exterior lights and may hold back some use of any radical new lighting technology.