Automotive Ambient Lights: Unlocking New Experiences in Smart Cabins

There was once a popular topic on Zhihu:

Why do some people sit alone in their car and zone out after arriving home?

One highly upvoted reply read:

“It’s a fully enclosed space, perfect for just spacing out.”

A car is more than just a means of transport — it is a private corner for solitude and relaxation.

Amid the trend of automotive intelligence, driving pleasure and comfort have become key considerations for consumers.Automotive ambient lights, which greatly enhance the in-car atmosphere and create a premium space, have successfully become a standard feature for immersive experiences in smart cabins.

Schematic Diagram

PART 01 Evolving Automotive Ambient Lights

Automotive ambient lights are mainly installed inside the vehicle, typically in the center console, door panels, headliner, footwells, cup holders, welcome pedals and other areas.

With the growing popularity of the smart cockpit concept, the functions of ambient lights have expanded from basic illumination and mood-setting to human-vehicle interaction, safety alerts and more. They now integrate with in-vehicle systems such as ADAS, emotion sensing and fragrance systems, further enhancing the intelligent experience of the vehicle.

The ambient lights in the MercedesBenz S-Class turn red to alert the driver in dangerous situations

With the expansion and upgrading of functions, today's ambient lights must not only meet high standards in consistency, uniformity, reliability and brightness, but also respond to growing demands for color variations — driven by a sharp increase in the number of LEDs used per vehicle.

For instance, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has expanded its ambient lighting from 7 colors to 64 colors, with the number of in-car LED light sources rising from just a few to 263 individually color-gradient LEDs.

PART 02 NATIONSTAR’s Strategic Layout

NATIONSTAR is actively exploring the new blue-ocean market for automotive LED applications, focusing on the new segment of ambient lighting for new energy vehicles.

Its products can be applied in footwell lighting, center console lighting, headspace ambient lights, door panel lights, exterior welcome lights and other scenarios.

With outstanding product performance, the company has successfully entered the automotive supply chains of well-known major manufacturers, earning high recognition from customers for its comprehensive capabilities and product quality.

Schematic Diagram of Application Scenarios

PART 03 Product Features

Targeting market demands, NATIONSTAR ambient LED devices can adjust light wavelength, color and brightness based on temperature, vehicle speed, music, user preferences and ambient conditions.With rich colors and uniform light output, they significantly enhance the human-vehicle interaction experience.

The products feature a patented wire bonding design that effectively improves resistance to thermal shock. Nanoscale coating packaging technology greatly enhances sulfur resistance, placing the overall technical level at the industry forefront. Backed by advanced packaging technologies, these ambient LED devices deliver high reliability and long-lasting color stability.

From ambient LED devices to customized modules, NATIONSTAR also offers two dedicated ambient lighting technology solutions:

1. Smart Ambient Lighting Solution

Adopts AEC-Q100 qualified intelligent LED devices with built-in IC and integrated driver as the light source. Each LED can be independently controlled in brightness and color, achieving dynamic effects such as solid color, gradient, flowing, marquee, collision and rhythm. It provides strong technical support for immersive experiences in smart cockpits.

2. Fantasy Color Ambient Lighting Solution

Integrates automotive-grade LED devices with light guide dot technology and pelletizing extrusion technology. By applying light guide plate dot design to light rings, it delivers more uniform color emission. The solution uses UV-resistant PC material; with unique processing, the injected parts feature richer and more saturated color. The product achieves waterproof rating above IPX6, adopts high- and low-temperature resistant PC material, and passes rigorous thermal shock tests with excellent stability.

Schematic Diagram of Application Scenarios

In recent years, NATIONSTAR has further leveraged its advantages in integrating resources across the entire LED industrial chain, continuously expanding its automotive LED business. From LED chips and LED light source devices to application modules and display assemblies, the company provides customers with one-stop vehicle-level solutions, delivering a superior driving experience for end consumers.

Some images in this article are sourced from Unsplash, etc. Copyright belongs to the original authors.