High-tech xenon headlights, whose bluish-white light provides up to 70 percent more light output than standard halogen headlights, are now available for 95 vehicle models for 2005, up more than 20 percent from 2004, according to a press release from the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council. Xenon headlights were introduced in the mid-1990s in Europe and Japan and first appeared on high-end luxury and performance vehicles.
Consumers appreciate the xenon technology, also called HID (High Intensity Discharge). In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a market-research firm based in Rochester, N.Y., xenon headlights ranked second on a list of top-10 automotive technologies consumers would like to purchase for their next vehicle.
“As consumers become more informed about the significant safety benefits of the technology, their demand for xenon headlights continues to increase,” said Daniel R. Robusto, chairman of the lighting council and president and CEO of North American Lighting, Inc. “(We’re) optimistic that as more vehicles are equipped with xenon headlights, the estimated 2,300 pedestrian fatalities that result from poor night visibility in the United States each year will likely decrease.”
Forty-one new vehicles for the 2005 model year are available with xenon headlights — making this advanced lighting technology available to a larger segment of motorists. A list of 2005 model year vehicles equipped with xenon headlights, according to the MVLC, is available at www.mvlc.info.