Light-up Mercedes logo lets owner's net worth shine at night

Driving with a 5-inch, 3-pointed star smack in the center of your grille should tell everyone in the parking lot, including the blind, that you're pulling up in a Mercedes. Yet at night, that reflecting chrome may not shine brightly enough. Hey, is that a Hyundai Genesis?

Car and Driver leafed through the German brand's latest accessories catalog and found the solution: an illuminated badge with LED and fiber-optic backlighting. When the car is locked or unlocked or when a door is opened, the Mercedes logo beams to life. For now, the logo glows only when the engine is off, but the company wants to offer a version that will pair with the LED daytime running lights so that it's always on.

We'd advise against that, as it'd be compelling reason for big pickups to brake-check a tailing Benz driver and her fancy light into their steel bumpers.

The whole job costs $480 at the dealer without installation, or $550 with installation when ordered prior to delivery. So far, the LEDs are available for C-, E-, GL-, GLK-, M- and CLS-Class models and cannot be ordered with Distronic Plus cruise control, which uses radar sensors mounted behind the logo to pace the car against traffic. The option will be available in August, Car and Driver says.

Mercedes isn't the first manufacturer to experiment with factory badge lighting. Scion already did with its upcoming 10 Series special edition models that make the front and rear badges glow blue when the car is locked and unlocked.

[Source: Car and Driver, Mercedes]


Source: MSN