100 years of OSRAM Automotive – 100 years of innovation and commitment to safe driving

• ams OSRAM, the inventor of the BILUX® twin-filament headlight bulb back in the 1920s and now the No. 1 in automotive lighting, is celebrating 100 years of automotive excellence.
• Revolutionary developments, such as the early adaptation and subsequent perfection of halogen technology, or the NIGHT BREAKER® LED – the first street-approved  LED replacement lamp – are among the most important milestones in the history of the OSRAM Automotive division.
• Outstanding quality, a broad and innovative portfolio, excellent services for customers and partners and a strong global brand have made ams OSRAM the world market leader in automotive lighting today.
• Spotlight on the next one hundred years: With its new workshop services and product launches, OSRAM Automotive is showing in 2025 that partners, customers and drivers can continue to count on the market leader.

Premstätten, Austria and Munich, Germany (April 22, 2025) – For exactly one hundred years, ams OSRAM (SIX: AMS) has been at the forefront of advances in automotive lighting and continues to be a reliable partner for millions of drivers. With its clear focus on innovation, quality and partnership, the OSRAM Automotive division supports companies, workshops and retailers in particular in supplying their customers with market-leading aftermarket solutions. OSRAM Automotive will continue to improve visibility for all road users with its unique portfolio of replacement lamps and innovative high-quality products for vehicle maintenance and equipment.

The history of the OSRAM Automotive division began in 1925 when the world’s first twin-filament headlight bulb was unveiled in Berlin to a group of curious onlookers. What they witnessed that day with the launch of the BILUX® lamp was not just a brighter bulb that allowed drivers to switch between high and low beam, but a historic turning point for road safety. At the same time, it was the beginning of a unique success story in vehicle lighting that ams OSRAM has continued with commitment and a spirit of innovation ever since.

“Without the powers of innovation and the visionary DNA of ams OSRAM, we would probably still be lagging miles behind in terms of road safety today. For the past one hundred years those two qualities have enabled us to power technological progress in the automotive lighting sector and to take that progress to the roads,” said Adam Wu, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive & Specialty Lamps division of the ams OSRAM Group. He also made this promise: “As the world market leader, we will continue to play our pioneering role in the market.”

Highlights in the history of the company
ams OSRAM’s commitment to excellent visibility for all road users has been, and still is, the driving force behind a long list of innovations. The development of the BILUX® twin-filament bulb in 1925 marked the birth of automotive lighting at OSRAM (now ams OSRAM). In the 1930s, the company launched the “OSRAM-D” bulbs which offered significantly higher light output thanks to their double-coil technology. OSRAM was a pioneering force in the development of halogen technology for car headlights in the 1960s, a technology that soon became standard in automotive lighting. In the 1990s, OSRAM succeeded in heralding in a new era in headlight design by co-developing the D1 xenon and the H7 halogen lamps. The technical possibilities of these lamps suddenly unleashed an almost inexhaustible potential for further innovation. It was during this period that OSRAM rose to become the global leader in automotive lighting. The H7 is still one of the most popular and highest-selling products in the company’s portfolio. 

In view of the special nature of both the products and the customers and to take account of increasing globalization, automotive business was set up as a separate division at OSRAM in 1994. In the early 2000s, OSRAM played a major role in the development of the first all-LED headlights. 
In 2007, OSRAM Automotive launched the first NIGHT BREAKER® models, a series of high-performance halogen lamps tailored for the first time to the differing needs of drivers. Customers could now choose a lamp to fit their lifestyle, with the particular emphasis on brightness, style, durability or cost. “We are continually expanding and diversifying our portfolio. We focus not only on improving lighting on the roads but also on meeting various consumer expectations on safety, comfort and styling,” said Adam Wu. 
In 2015, the launch of the “Fixtures” portfolio attracted plenty of attention. Finally, OSRAM Automotive reached yet another milestone in the company’s history with the development of the first NIGHT BREAKER® LED retrofit lamp.

The NIGHT BREAKER® LED family: a revolution in the aftermarket 
In 2020, OSRAM Automotive, in close cooperation with the German TÜV and the Federal Motor Vehicle and Transport Authority, succeeded in achieving what had previously been thought impossible, namely producing the first LED retrofit lamp to be approved for use on public roads. The NIGHT BREAKER® LED has now gone on to conquer the aftermarket. “At that time, we were the first manufacturer to understand that both drivers and industry lacked a retrofit solution that not only shone more light on the road, but was also easy to install and was officially approved for road traffic,” said Carsten Setzer, Vice President Product Lifecycle Management Lamps & Fixtures. 

By the end of 2023, the product range had been expanded to include the NIGHT BREAKER® LED H1 and H4, so that classic cars and motorhomes could now also be retrofitted. LED retrofitting for motorcycles has also been possible since 2024. At the same time, OSRAM Automotive launched the TRUCKSTAR® LED, which had been specially developed for the truck segment. In total, the NIGHT BREAKER® LED range now comprises four product families and eight lamp types. It covers over 1000 vehicle models and has been approved in 28 countries.

More than light: successful market entry in the vehicle maintenance and equipment sector 
OSRAM Automotive’s commitment to better visibility does not stop at lighting. Innovative products such as the LEDriving® auxiliary and working lights and the LED warning and safety lights are rightly regarded as groundbreaking. In 2019, the global market leader in retrofit lamps acquired the British aftermarket specialist RING. This meant that OSRAM Automotive could expand its portfolio to include battery and tire maintenance equipment, dashcams, and more. 

Going the extra mile – as a reliable partner for manufacturers, workshops and retailers 
ams OSRAM has always worked closely with its customers in order to understand and meet their needs. Over the years, the Automotive division has developed instruments and initiatives to support workshops and retailers: 
 

• The Trust program has been set up to help verify original parts and therefore protect businesses and customers from counterfeit products.
• The Vehicle Lamp Finder enables end users and workshops to quickly identify the right lamp for their vehicles and directly compare different products.
• The “Man in the Van” takes OSRAM representatives directly to workshops to support them with practical training and product presentations. 

The anniversary year
ams OSRAM’s customers and partners can look forward to even more highlights to celebrate the 100th birthday of the automotive lighting division. The party mood will continue throughout the year, with new products for retrofit solutions, tire and battery maintenance and bicycle lighting as part of our campaign titled “To be continued. Making you road ready since 1925.” The “Man in the Van” trailer will be touring Germany and Europe as part of a major roadshow. It will be your opportunity to experience the product world of ams OSRAM.
 
More information about 100 years of OSRAM Automotive is available here: www.osram.com/100-years

¹Approved LED vehicle light. Applies only to countries in which approval has been granted or for which a com-parable approval applies, and to vehicle models and lighting functions currently indicated in the compatibility list. For more details go to www.osram.com/nb-led
More information about 100 years of OSRAM Automotive is available here: www.osram.com/nb-led