The 01029-2018 model from Lumax of India is a turn signal lamp with an 5W amber bulb. The service life is about three years.

Companies speed up production of models fitted with energy-efficient, longer lasting diodes.

Suppliers of auxiliary lights in China and India will be turning out more LED-equipped third brake, turn signal and indicator lamps and side mirror markers in the months ahead.

R&D for these particular product categories is aggressive as makers respond to the still-growing popularity of the component in the automotive lighting industry. Compared with conventional bulbs, LEDs are more energy efficient and can last up to 100,000 hours with proper usage.

In addition, the cost of diodes, specifically those used by mainland China companies, has been stable for the past half year and no significant upswing is expected in coming months. Suppliers there usually procure LEDs in Guangdong province and Taiwan. Those that make bulbs in-house use LED chips sourced from the island as well.

India companies likewise purchase diodes in Taiwan, but at costs that are 15 to 20 percent higher than six months ago. This increase pushed up outlay by 15 to 20 percent and consequently, brought a corresponding jump in prices. Nevertheless, suppliers plan to boost production to a point where LED models will account for 80 to 90 percent of total output. The line currently makes up about 30 percent of auxiliary lights there.

Faced with a continuous upturn in costs, companies plan to keep prices competitive by absorbing part of the adjustments despite the reduction this will bring to margins.

In China, approximately 85 percent of third brake lights and 50 percent of turn signal lamps are fitted with LED bulbs. Production for the latter category has risen 5 to 10 percent in the past six months.

R&D efforts among makers of third brake lights revolve primarily around the shape and construction of the entire lamp assembly. The design and manufacturing processes for fog and signal lights, on the other hand, remain quite traditional.

In line with the goal of boosting output of LED auxiliary lights, India suppliers are forging joint ventures or acquiring the expertise needed to create development and testing technologies. Featured companies estimate that this process will take two years.

At present, products are made in automated dust-free environments such as anti-static rooms, and imported simulation software is used to check brightness. Because upcoming models will be more advanced, suppliers plan to import new manufacturing equipment and production and testing software.

	India supplier Neolite offers the model Aux 44 third brake light. The product has 16 red LEDs with a brightness of 320cd and an operating current of below 0.08A.

Makers in China adopt LEDs with power output ranging from 0.1 to 1W for turn signal and third brake lights, and use 5 or 6W diodes for fog lamps. Colors vary from red, green, yellow, blue, white or purple.

Shenzhen Bostar Industrial Co. Ltd offers mainly turn signal lights with a service life of 80,000 to 100,000 hours. These red, yellow, white, blue and green models have a working voltage of 12 or 24V and are suitable for trucks.

Although third brake lights require low-power LEDs, Shenzhen Autic Industrial Co. Ltd uses 5 or 8W diodes in clusters of 14, 24, 28, 32, 40, 48, 56, 60 or 80.

Because of their high-efficiency performance, India suppliers adopt LEDs in indicators, side mirror markers and brake lamps.

Lumax Industries Ltd utilizes 1156-type diodes. Fiem Industries Ltd opts for LEDs below 1W. These have a service life that reaches 100,000 hours and brightness of about 20cd.

Amid the rising popularity of LEDs, a growing number of companies in China are adopting HID bulbs for fog and driving lamps. This particular light source lasts three to five times longer than halogen lamps. Moreover, HID bulbs use 50 percent of the power normally consumed by the latter while emitting light that is two or three times brighter.

Winjet Bright Auto Lighting Co. Ltd, Shenzhen A.T.R. Industry Co. Ltd and HKR Racing Tech Engineering Inc. are among the featured China makers using 35, 55 and 100W HID bulbs. Color temperature ranges from 4,100 to 5,000K and life span is between 700 and 2,500 hours.

Specifically, Winjet prefers H3 lamps with a power output of 55W. Models have plastic, aluminum alloy or iron housings and lenses in resin, plastic or glass. Reflectors come in plastic with a chrome plating, although these can also be made of iron. HKR paints and electroplates the surface of its ABS and iron housings.

The use of HID bulbs for auxiliary lights in India is currently limited because suppliers lack the technology necessary in production. Nevertheless, companies plan to penetrate the aftermarket, OEM and OES segments with upcoming releases.

To address this manufacturing difficulty, Neolite Industries Pvt. Ltd has partnered with ZKW of Austria and will be investing nearly 4 percent of annual revenue in R&D for HID auxiliary lamps.