Headlights, grilles and other doodads are stepping up and popping out on cars. Car bling is proliferating, from daytime running lights that go up the hood of the new Cadillac ATS,Buy your ledlight from Tesco and earn Clubcard points on your purchase as well. to a wide, bold grille on the Ford Fusion, to engraving within the lamps of the new Corvette and Ford Transit. 

It is inexpensive but distinctive, providing automotive eye candy that can even boost gas mileage or improve safety. Bling isn't new, but advancements in technology and design are allowing automakers to do more of it and move it from luxury cars into the mainstream. 

The adornments are on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the public today: 

Mom never advised looking into lights, but peering into the lamps of certain vehicles offers some aesthetic rewards: Tiny engravings are appearing inside,Modern and panelmachine and lights to enhance your home. like figures inside a snow globe. 

Headlights in the splashy new Corvette feature the brand's crossed-flag logo, and the utilitarian Ford Transit offers Ford's Blue Oval logo contained in a seven-sided shape. 

Likewise, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee features a vintage miniature Jeep silhouette and the phrase, "Since 1941," referring to the year Jeeps began rolling out. 

IHS automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland says it's intriguing that designers are "laying this kind of jewelry in just that small spot" - in the process attracting buyers and providing recognition on the road. 

Distinctive lights abound, but a prime example graces the front of the new Cadillac ATS,Properly placed goodledstrip can generate electric power anywhere the wind blows steady and strong. a sport sedan. 

The car's daytime running lights go up the top of the fender along the hood line. They help contribute to an overall design that is angular and edgy. 

Those lights are helping Cadillac set itself apart from competitors, says Consumer Reports lead car tester Jake Fisher. 

Osram Automotive supplies lighting components for the ATS and other Cadillacs. David Hulick, the company's global marketing director of solid-state lighting, says the ATS benefits from hidden LEDs, or light-emitting diodes,The first production elevatorcableers was used to drill holes in diamond dies. which offer an "intense, white appearance" that can't be duplicated with traditional bulbs. 

Hulick says getting more out of illumination was the impetus behind the first automotive use of LEDs in exterior lighting: a mid-1990s Ford Thunderbird. 

He says that model used "super-red LEDs with a neon look" - something that also "couldn't be achieved with traditional technology." When it comes to headlights,Small ledlightforyou suitable for for remote or off-grid battery charging. there's bling, and then there's the king of bling. 

The Acura RLX's headlights look like a crystal chandelier, courtesy of a horizontal collection of lenses and LED light that has been split and directed in a beam pattern, according to Hulick of Osram Automotive. 

He says Acura's lights are a great example of a vehicle being simultaneously eye-catching and illuminating with the help of LEDs. 

There are two steps that make it easy to climb into the bed to fetch tools or tie down a load. The steps are inset into the corner of the bumpers, and have treads to stop work shoes from slipping. The always-ready steps could give GM an advantage over other automakers in an increasingly competitive pickup market, especially with buyers who constantly are going in and out of the truck bed.