WHY GENESIS DROPPED FOG LAMPS

SEOUL, Jan. 29, Fog lamps have become a rarity in the luxury auto industry. Here’s why.

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MFR Headlamps

Historically, fog lamps were introduced to overcome the limitations of halogen lamps in vehicle headlights. Halogen lamps emit a less concentrated beam of light, making visibility in foggy conditions challenging. In contrast, fog lamps produce light with a lower color temperature, which translates into longer wavelengths that refract less in inclement weather such as rain or fog, significantly enhancing visibility.

Fog lamps are also designed with convex lenses that disperse light over a broader area, illuminating lower road surfaces that headlights often miss. This feature not only enhances lane visibility but also assists drivers in identifying lane boundaries.

However, nowadays, the majority of vehicles in the Korean market do not include fog lamps. This change can largely be attributed to the advent of Multi-Face Reflector (MFR) headlamps, also referred to as multifaceted reflectors or MR.

Fog is a notorious hazard on highways globally, yet fog lamps, once a popular solution, are disappearing from modern vehicles.

The New York Times reports,

Fog was a factor in nearly 20 percent of deadly multicar pileups involving ten or more vehicles.

Fog is especially common in certain areas, including much of the Southeast, northern New England, the Pacific Northwest, and California's Central Valley, particularly during winter. Deadly crashes often occur when vehicles traveling at high speeds collide with dense fog, losing visibility rapidly. Drivers may not see slower vehicles ahead in time, leading to disastrous chain-reaction collisions, including those involving large trucks.

Fog poses a significant threat, prompting many car buyers to ensure that their new vehicles are equipped with fog lights. Typically, these lower lights are expected in high-end cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Nevertheless, some car manufacturers are beginning to remove fog lights, citing advancements in headlight technology that render them unnecessary. Fog lights have now joined the growing list of car features fading into obsolescence.

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Crank windows, cigarette lighters, spare tires, turn-key ignitions, and manual transmissions are just a few of the once-common features that are becoming obsolete. Brands like Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, and Genesis have already eliminated fog lights from their latest models.

Other manufacturers are likely to follow suit.

Companies assert that modern headlight technologies have evolved to the point where extra fog lights are simply redundant. Indeed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not require fog lights nor does it test their effectiveness.

Anyone who has driven through fog knows that using high beams seldom improves visibility; instead, the lights reflect back towards the driver. Fog lights provide additional illumination to a specific section of the road obscured by fog, helping drivers see lane markings and potential hazards.

However, skepticism about their effectiveness persists, as the area they illuminate may still be insufficient for safe driving even in low-speed scenarios.

Forthcoming technologies like LIDAR and infrared may seal the fate of fog lamps further.

Eliminating fog lights may not seem like a monumental shift, yet it reflects a broader trend in the future of automotive design. If fog lights are deemed unnecessary, could headlights follow suit? Will the vehicles of tomorrow navigate without visible light?

Do you find the fog lights on your car useful?

-tgriffith

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