Back in 2004, Audi put the first-ever set of LED daytime running lights on the road. We look at the car that kicked off the trend, some of the technical advances that led to it, and some of the most notable lighting advancements to come from Audi’s technological toolkit in the years that followed. Take a drive in 2025 and LED running lights are everywhere. Is that a Volvo XC90 or a Kia Telluride coming down the road? Chances are you’ll know immediately because of the signature look imparted by the use of LED lighting technology in today’s daytime running lights, tailored to convey the car’s identity by every automaker. More than just a safety feature that helps make cars more visible, DRLs are commonly employed to help give a distinctive visual character to the vehicles they’re fitted to.
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