There’s nothing more futuristic than a good ol’ fashioned flat panel with glowing shapes and lights. And now automotive supplier Magna has developed a special body plate that does exactly that.

Officially called Breakthough Lighting, it’s a new set of lighting hardware that actually hides underneath the body panels. When active, they present bright shapes along the body in a variety of potential colors. But when inactive, the lights are nearly invisible, showing nothing but a flat, smooth surface.



The lighting system uses “thermoplastic” material to control the light exposure. In the video, they show the potential of the technology, replacing traditional brake light, hazards, and turn signals with Breakthough Lighting. They expand to say that the customer will have the option for “an extensive color palette,” and that the technology is not limited to just the rear body plate.

While fascinating, one concern is the legality of such technology. Currently, automotive regulations require certain things like proper light fixtures for certain purposes. Similar to how we cannot legally replace side-view mirrors with side-view camera systems, we are still required to have traditional lights on vehicles. While it’s possible that regulations might change to allow these systems, it’ll be a while before that happens.

That only leaves the cosmetic. When designed for showing-off, we can only imagine the potential ideas that custom shops would come up with when implementing these lights. We can also barely imagine the cost.

Breakthough Lighting is expected to start production and hit the market in 2023.