OLEDWorks announces that, in partnership with Marelli, it has been awarded the prestigious 2025 PACE Award from Automotive News for the pioneering digital OLED 2.0 rear lights in the Audi Q6 e-tron.

This coveted award recognizes game-changing automotive innovations that have made it to market in a series vehicle and fundamentally reshaped the industry. Based on Audi’s vision of the digital OLED 2.0, OLEDWorks and Marelli implemented this game-changing innovation.

During the PACE Award ceremony held on April 15, 2025 in Detroit, MI, David DeJoy, CEO of OLEDWorks, and Steve Muench, head of Marelli’s Lighting Business North America, accepted the award on behalf of the entire team.

The digital OLED 2.0 taillamp—first featured on the 2024 Audi Q6 e-tron—represents a revolutionary leap in automotive lighting, redefining the possibilities of communication, customization, and design through next-generation digital OLED technology.

This solution was made possible through close collaboration with OLEDWorks, Marelli, and Audi, combining OLEDWorks’ world-first, 60-segment digital OLED panels with Marelli’s advanced electronic architecture with CAN-FD to enable Audi’s industry leading lighting vision for the Q6 e-tron taillamp.

“This recognition from Automotive News underscores the power of innovation when driven by collaboration,” said DeJoy. “Our team is proud to push the boundaries of what OLED can do—not only in terms of lighting performance and design but also in enhancing V2X communication and driver engagement. Multi-segmented OLED technology is a milestone that reflects our passion for delivering meaningful technology that elevates both form and function.”

OLEDWorks’ multi-segment digital OLED panels, once limited to 10 segments per panel, now feature 60 controllable segments in the second generation — each dynamically addressable through Audi’s centralized domain controller. This high level of segmentation allows for:
• 360 Controllable Segments: Enabling Audi’s world’s first active digital light signature as a rear light in motion in an unprecedented way
• Customer Personalization: Audi Q6 e-tron drivers can select from up to eight digital rear light signatures via the MMI or myAudi App.
• Enhanced V2X Communication: Warning symbols and visual cues can now be integrated into the rear lighting system to improve driver-to-environment interaction.

The shift from multiple electronic control units (ECU) to a single domain controller with CAN-FD bus system delivers significant benefits in packaging efficiency, energy savings, and design flexibility—all without compromising performance.

“Our collaboration with Audi and Marelli exemplifies how OLEDWorks’ technology can drive the next generation of vehicle design,” DeJoy added. “Digital OLED 2.0 redefines the role of lighting in the vehicle, turning it into a platform for creativity and smart interaction.”

“This PACE Award is a fantastic recognition for us as a technology leader in lighting. We are proud to digitalize the light. Together with OLEDWorks and Audi we have created a unique customer experience with our OLED taillight solutions”, said Frank Huber, president of Marelli’s Automotive Lighting & Sensing business. “This innovation sets new standards in road safety and vehicle personalization, and I want to express my sincerest appreciation for our teams who achieved this successful co-creation with our customer and partners.”

The Audi Q6 e-tron enables its drivers the freedom to individualize their cars with a choice of up to eight digital light signatures. This is possible via the MMI and, for the first time, via the myAudi app.  This achievement marks a major milestone in the commercialization of OLED lighting as a functional, customizable, and connected experience.