Applications in rear lighting, interior lighting and even in-vehicle displays are all proving fruitful for LEDs.

As the recent Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) highlighted, the value of attractive lighting with a positive brand message is becoming a key feature of new vehicles, according to a report in LEDs Magazine.

LED maker Osram Opto Semiconductors Inc., for example, has been contracted by Ford Motor Company to provide LED lighting for the automaker’s newly upgraded interiors using a Ford-specified 'Ice Blue' backlighting color theme.

Osram Opto has also supplied a large number of LEDs for the Lincoln MKR concept car.

The MKR has a unique rear lighting system composed of a series of reflecting light chambers, each containing four red LEDs. These chambers are separated by spacers that can be illuminated by amber LEDs to create the turn signal.

Perhaps the most unusual use of LEDs was in the Ford Airstream Concept vehicle. In the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle is a 360-degree LED display supplied by DynaScan (www.dynascanusa.com). The system contains a module of LEDs on the central axis that spins rapidly to illuminate the circular display.