Juggling aesthetics with affordability: Skoda’s lighting strategy

Aside from the logo, there is arguably no other area that single-handedly embodies the feel of a car brand than lighting. It can be used to represent and define the design of a model from afar, giving both occupants and passers by a firm indication of what the vehicle stands for on the outside, while also acting as a key ingredient to create a mood on the inside.

With such an important role to play, it would be sensible to assume that there is a serious amount of work going into lighting to constantly improve designs. Petr Nevřela, lead exterior lighting designer at Škoda, sat down with CDN to chat about his work in the field, and discuss the main challenges facing designers as trends and technologies evolve.

CDN: Can you describe your role at Škoda, and what your day to day looks like?

Petr Nevřela: I’m part of the exterior design team and, together with my colleague Martin Paclt, we specialise in exterior lighting design. Every day is different, and I really enjoy the variety. Typically, it is a combination of designing the details according to new inputs, presenting the proposals to our chief designers Karl Neuhold and Oliver Stefani, sketching new ideas, supporting the preparation of the lamp models, and participating in technical meetings on A-class data.

CDN: What are the main challenges you’re facing right now when designing exterior vehicle lights?

PN: Keeping the right combination of modern lamp design together with the exterior design and affordable technologies. Modern design requires a strong signature, slim lamps, but perfect light performance.

CDN: Are there any exciting new technologies coming in to help address these challenges?

PN: Reducing the size of modules and miniaturising LED sources in general. Slim modules have attractive proportions and can support the width of the car when placed horizontally. But they have certain requirements for the geometry of the exterior, and this is quite challenging. Micro LEDs open up new possibilities for illuminating extremely small components. This is a great potential for future lighting design.

CDN: What about challenges for interior vehicle lighting – are these completely different or much the same?

PN: Interior lighting is entering a new chapter in terms of functionality. Of course, it retains its value in creating an interior atmosphere, but we are increasingly using it to support functions. Light naturally guides you to the areas where you can use functional elements. Whether we are talking about ambient lighting in the door handle area or haptic buttons. All these new expectations of experiences also bring new challenges.

CDN: How has lighting design evolved over recent years, transitioning from pure functionality to becoming a brand differentiator?

PN: This is the biggest advantage it could have brought. Today, you can use light to express the DNA of the brand, differentiate individual models in the portfolio and achieve the right emotional impression of a car. Today, LED technology gives us the opportunity to work in almost perfect synergy with design. The speed of this development has been amazing and still continues. Imagine that one day we will be able to work with light in a completely unlimited way… that is a designer’s dream.

CDN: Do you think there could soon be more use cases for lighting both inside and outside the vehicle? For example, displaying certain messages or recreational activities?

PN: It’s already happening. For example, from a legislative point of view, there are symbols that you can project onto the road to increase travel safety. You can use lighting to build a new holistic relationship with users. Whether we’re talking about personalisation or leisure. Interaction in this way will definitely expand. The car will become your perfect companion, helping you whenever you need it.

[image gallery - Skoda Kodiaq tail lamp, Skoda Superb NF rear lamp sketch]

CDN: Lighting design trends can quickly dominate the market, stopping brands from standing out from the competition and instead becoming homogenous. The horizontal light bar on the rear of vehicles could be an example. How can car brands navigate this issue? How can they remain relevant and modern while simultaneously not following the crowd?

PN: It is possible. Each brand can decide whether to follow a proven concept or go a more complex way and discover new potential in this trend. You have to consider what is important for you in terms of lighting as part of your brand identity. The light bar can be just a basic tool to achieve good proportions and the way you design the light stripe and all the rest can be specific according to your light strategy. Another aspect is the technical side of the issue. If you find a cheaper way to achieve the same solution, you can implement it in smaller segment cars and then that is also a success. Even if the lighting design looks very familiar.

CDN: Is there a danger that lighting design will become too complex and expensive, and we may see a return to more simple designs as car companies turn their attention to more pressing issues such as reducing emissions and sustainability?

PN: As a volume brand, we always have to be efficient in all these aspects. At the same time, I say that the effect costs nothing if it is done in a clever way. We have always balanced simple technique with a portion of advanced technology, all wrapped in a precise and attractive design. We continue to explore further possibilities for simplification. A natural part of this exploration is circular design. That’s why we already fulfil the latest requirements for the use of recycled materials in some lamps.

CDN: How closely do lighting designers need to work with other experts, like the CMF team for example? Are there ways for you to collaborate and bring new experiences as a result?

PN: This is actually our daily bread and butter. One example of our standard collaboration is ambient light, which is a very powerful tool for emphasising the shape of the surface and the structure of the materials used. You can only achieve a stunning effect if you develop it together with the CMF team, thanks to the specific characteristics of all these new innovative materials. The same added value comes from working with the UX/UI team in terms of natural interaction with light. All these influences open up new ideas and possibilities.

CDN: What excites you most about lighting design moving forward?

PN: I like the speed of evolution in the field of lighting design. Technological progress has given us the opportunity to work in a completely new and creative way. The expectations of our users give us an inspiring challenge in terms of lighting performance and interactions. All this gives us a natural motivation to design the next surprising lighting concept. The best feeling comes with positive feedback from real users. Either they like how the car illuminates the road on the way home in the evening, or they like the design of the lamps themselves and consider them as a piece of innovative jewellery.