Visteon receives industry award for lighting technology on Cadillac CTS

Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) is honored to be the recipient of a 2008 Automotive News PACE Honorable Mention for its innovative light pipe technology, which debuted this summer on the 2008 Cadillac CTS. This prestigious recognition was awarded to Visteon at the 14th Annual Automotive News PACE Awards Ceremony on April 14 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Michael Tomburrini, Visteon engineering director, lighting, was on hand to accept the award.

“We are honored to receive such prestigious industry recognition for this advancement,” said a proud Tomburrini. “This innovation was truly a team effort.”

The light pipe innovation is part of both the highly stylized head lamp and tail lamp units on the CTS. The light pipes are single, high-power LED emitters that have a tubular appearance. This unique light glows vertically along the edges of the CTS tail and head lights – clearly distinguishing the vehicle’s edges, thereby allowing drivers adjacent to the vehicle to more easily recognize its edges.

Light is emitted from the LED at the bottom of the pipe and is redirected over the length of the pipe to produce a uniform intensity throughout the light pipe. This is done with a configuration of the optical surfaces tailored specifically for the shape of the lamp and the light pipe itself. The light source at the bottom is not detectable so the pipe looks like one glowing vertical tube.

Thick molded optics, embodied in the light pipes, as well as the “Ice Cube” lenses used for the daytime running light and front turn signal, give the lamp a deep, rich appearance in the unlit state.

This is the first application of a single-LED light pipe for these front and rear functions. The new CTS also sports one of the industry’s first applications of LED-powered backup light.

The PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award is presented by Automotive News, Microsoft, SAP and Transportation Research Center Inc., and recognizes suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.