Why no LED tail lights / LED illuminated door sills in US?

[SJCyclist]

I have a 2016 Golf R that came with blue illuminated door sill plates (no LED tails though) and it makes me sad / confused that VW penny pinched on what is basically the 2nd most expensive Golf.

We do not get LED tails in the US and no illuminated door sills or the illuminted door card strips like the Golf R.

Even more confusing....I had a 2014 Touareg R-Line that DID have LED Tail lights. WTF VW???

 

[RonDawg]

Remember that until battery prices come down further, manufacturers are behind the curve when it comes to pricing EVs. We're spending basically an extra $8-9k over the equivalent gas version, so to keep the price from ballooning further manufacturers have to cut corners. For example, we don't get a spare tire when other Golfs still do. CarPlay/Android Auto was also implemented a year after Europe.

As mentioned in my sig line, I used to have a Nissan Leaf. You can definitely see cost cutting with that car in things like the carpet that is so thin it's often referred to as "spray-on" in the Leaf forums, and in the plug in the steering column cover where the ignition key would go in the Nissan Versa where that part came from. It didn't even come with a cargo area cover, I had to buy that from the parts department. Yet sticker price on that car was around $36k in 2012!

When you're talking about a high-priced niche product like the Golf R, little touches like illuminated sill plates are nice, but are an unnecessary cost item for most of us. It would be nice if you could get them as an add-on accessory for those who want them.

The LED tails as used in other countries may not meet FMVSS, but of course there's no reason why you can't buy a pair from Europe and swap them out yourself. I much prefer amber turn signals over red and if I were keeping mine (it's 1 year into a 3 year lease) I'd get the EU taillights and redo the programming to let them flash amber. On my '06 Audi A3 all I had to do was swap out the outer taillights with the EU-spec but to get rear fogs I'd need reprogramming as well as the proper switch.

VWoA has also long skimped on features and functionality that are found on European models.

 

[johnnylingo]

It's not in the pictures, but the 2016 SEL Premium does have illumination on both the door inside and door sills

https://www.vw.com/models/e-golf/trims/2016/sel-premium-trim/

With ya on the LED tail lights though. Ford put them standard on the Focus Electric 2 years ago and it's disappointing to see VW dragging behind.

 

[2doors]

As has been already stated, cost is the reason. I don't know what these LED door card lights look like, so I'm not missing them. I was in China a few weeks ago and what envious that all of their MkVII Golfs get LED tail lights. I'll have to try and get a set next time I'm there.

What I can't figure out is, are our lights US market only? There seems to be a bulb at the innermost portion of the lenses that is unused. I'm guessing these are rear fog lights. Were these tail lights ever used in a market that has rear fogs? I'd be curious about what it takes to activate them in our cars.

 

[bizzle]

AWere these tail lights ever used in a market that has rear fogs? I'd be curious about what it takes to activate them in our cars.

You need to put the bulb in, have the correct switch, and code the ECU.

 

[SJCyclist]

I'm trying to track down the LED Door sills, maybe I'll order a set from the dealer and swap them. I have a VDCS and have modded / coded my other VWs for years.

 

[RonDawg]

What I can't figure out is, are our lights US market only? There seems to be a bulb at the innermost portion of the lenses that is unused. I'm guessing these are rear fog lights. Were these tail lights ever used in a market that has rear fogs? I'd be curious about what it takes to activate them in our cars.

The standard EU-spec model uses very similar taillights. Outside of North America, the lower part of the outer taillight has an amber bulb inside for the turn signal.

For the US and Canada, VW inserted a reflector in that same space and just recoded the CANBUS to flash the brake lights for the turn signals, like many American cars do.

Yes the inner taillights are rear fog lamps, a requirement in many countries such as Germany and the UK, but is not activated for the US/Canadian market. As mentioned already, you would need the correct switch with a rear fog lamp position, plus the CANBUS needs to be reprogrammed to allow that function. Putting in the switch alone doesn't make it work (as I've found out with my A3).

 

[2doors]

The standard EU-spec model uses very similar taillights. Outside of North America, the lower part of the outer taillight has an amber bulb inside for the turn signal.

For the US and Canada, VW inserted a reflector in that same space and just recoded the CANBUS to flash the brake lights for the turn signals, like many American cars do.

Yes the inner taillights are rear fog lamps, a requirement in many countries such as Germany and the UK, but is not activated for the US/Canadian market. As mentioned already, you would need the correct switch with a rear fog lamp position, plus the CANBUS needs to be reprogrammed to allow that function. Putting in the switch alone doesn't make it work (as I've found out with my A3).

That's kind of what I thought. I wish we had the amber turn signal and kept it separate from the brake light. We have reflectors down in the bumper, so it's not like we needed more reflectors. I'm kind of surprised VW spent the money to tool up unique tail lights for the NA market. I like that my MkIV has amber turn signals. I added a driver side rear fog light to that car, but that only needed a Euro switch, bulb and wire. No reprogramming necessary.

 

[RonDawg]

I'm kind of surprised VW spent the money to tool up unique tail lights for the NA market.

Not just VW. Audi, Mercedes, BMW, even MINI do the same. Some FCA vehicles are that way, including the Jeep Grand Cherokee which has an actual space for an amber turn signal (it's somewhat popular in other countries) but is not used for the US market. Ford has done the same for the Transit van (Euro-design but built in the US) but not for the smaller Transit Connect (which is built overseas).

While stuck in traffic yesterday, I noticed a newer Tiguan which had an actual amber-colored section in the taillight but the turn signals are simply flashing brake lights. I've also seen some Mercedes CLA's that are like this. For the new Buick Regal which is little more than a rebadged Opel Insignia (and the first year's production was actually built in Germany by Opel), GM put a red bulb in where the amber turn signal normally goes, and made that the combination brake light and turn signal.

 

[eneka]

The rear light change is probably a regulation issue. On the F15 BMW, It had separate amber turn signal and red brake lights on the EDM, however USDM models had the brake/turn signal combination. Turned out it was because the brake light/turn signal lgihts had to be a certain dimension and the EDM ones were just too small, easiest legal change was just make the turn signal and brake light a combo.

 

[SpdLmtNA]

Look at it this way, you can't see your taillights while driving down the road so don't let it bother you. Honestly, I can't understand why some LED taillights are so bright. They are retina-piercing, and I'd much rather have regular non-blinding taillights than those less aesthetically pleasing LED "dots". I do like the "cold cathode" LED tails though.

Reminder: Send email to DoT about Toyota/Lexus LED taillights being blinding.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

One advantage with LED brake lights - is their "instant" response time. This is much more attention grabbing for the driver behind you. Same goes for turn signals, but not quite as critical.

 

[Verkehr]

Perhaps instant-on lights are more "attention grabbing" but in our car at least the CHMSL is already LED.