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Opel releases a new teaser of the future Insignia
By Yoann Besnard on 13 March 2008 | 
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Opel has released a new teaser under the form of the front fascia. Indeed, the Insignia will feature an all-new intelligent lighting system.
Developed in partnership with Hella, the new Adaptive Forward Lighting, AFL in short, automatically adjusts headlamp beam distribution to the prevailing road profile and visibility conditions. The system features nine lighting functions:
- A Town Light mode that provides, at speeds under 30mph, a wider, beam with reduced range. This helps the driver see pedestrians at the edge of the road better.
- A Pedestrian Area Light mode that is for zones where the driver must exercise extreme caution. It is activated at speeds between 2 and 20mph, and adjusts the cone of light for both headlamps by eight degrees toward each roadside. This function helps the driver see children playing next to the road earlier.
- A Country Road Light mode that provides a brighter and more wide-ranging beam to the sides of the road than a conventional low beam. It is activated between 30 and 62mph.
- A Highway Light that creates a cone of light that illuminates the road ahead and the left-hand roadside better. The Highway Light activates automatically above62mph, but only when the steering angle sensor indicates that the road’s curve radii do not match that of a country road.
- An Adverse Weather Light mode that is activated during rain or snow when the rain sensor recognizes rain or the windshield wipers are switched on. This light function varies both the headlamp beams’ distribution pattern and its various outputs. The headlamp beam distribution is directed more toward the roadsides (slightly less to the left) to make the guiding lines easier to see. As the left headlamp beam output is reduced from 35 to 32 watts, the risk of blinding oncoming traffic is also minimized. Conventional headlamp beams are often irritating to oncoming traffic in such weather conditions, as the beams reflect off the wet road surface. The right headlamp beam output is increased from 35 to 38 watts to further improve the driver’s visibility.
- A Static Cornering Lightmode that illuminates an area to the right or left of the vehicle up to an angle of 90 degrees, making maneuvering easier in poorly illuminated areas, such as on dark access roads. It is activated at speeds below 25mph either by a large steering angle or by the turn indicators.
- A Dynamic Curve Light that ensures improved illumination in curves. Curve Light’s bi-xenon headlamps shine at up to 15° right and left of the vehicle into the oncoming curve. The Curve Light angle is determined by the car’s speed and steering angle.
- A High Beam Light that provides maximum headlamp beam output and range. Rather than beam asymmetrically, the High Beam Light optimally illuminates the full width of the road. The headlamps’ output also increases from 35 to 38 watts.
- A High Beam Light Assistant mode, which is both an innovation in this segment and offers a considerable safety advantage when driving in darkness. The Assistant automatically activates the High Beam Light for better road illumination and therefore improved visibility. The system’s camera recognizes the headlamps or tail lights of other vehicles and automatically switches the headlamps to low beam when required to prevent blinding other road users.
The Insignia will be officially unveiled at the British Motor Show this summer.
