ZKW have developed a unique lighting system in cooperation with Swarovski and BMW. The four precisely cut crystals on each side of the lights adorn individually-controlled LEDs to provide the DRL and turn signal functions, creating a vibrant, sparkling glow that is particularly effective during the welcome and farewell light shows.
The premium crystal light was developed at ZKW headquarters in Wieselburg, Austria. It is manufactured at their Slovakian site in Krusovce, with crystals also coming from Austria.
ZKW have equipped the main headlamp, hidden lower in the i7’s front fascia, with adaptive matrix LED technology for low and high beam as well as glare-free high beam assist (BMW Selective Beam) as standard equipment. ZKW project manager Thomas Edletzberger says “A special challenge in the development of the main headlamp together with the BMW design team was to make it as inconspicuous as possible in order to particularly emphasise the crystal light above it”.
Gerald Boehm presented the technology and the product at the VISION congress in October in Paris. The title of his presentation was New Light Styling Approach in Headlamps: Challenges and Possibilities.
