Most concept vehicles are largely created because the automaker wants to promote something for future production vehicles. That formula has been tried and tested so many years that it’s become normal for people like us to expect them. Such is the case with Audi’s new E-Tron Sportback Concept, which is actually promoting a lot of things, not the least of which is the company’s overarching electric crossover agenda. But there is one aspect about the E-Tron Sportback Concept that Audi really wants us to pay attention to. It’s the LED lights, and for what they’re all worth, there are a lot of them.

Audi hasn’t said exactly how many light emitting diodes the concept has at its disposal, but the front bumper alone has around 250 LEDs that extend from one end of the bumper to the other. More LEDs are located on either side of the grille, including Audi’s actual four rings logo. Yes, the Audi logo is made from LEDs, and that’s not even counting the number of LEDs that have been packed on both the headlights and taillights.

According to Audi, the LEDs were added to the concept to showcase different lighting patterns that we may or may not see in future production models. These patterns work to communicate with other cars on the road, which itself is a novelty that could find its way on a production model of the coupe-crossover concept should it get that far.

The smart money is to wait and see how the technology evolves from here on out. These many LEDs may look good on a concept, but the costs of packing all of them on a production model could determine whether they’re feasible or not. Make no mistake though, the visual appeal of all these lights on a concept is evident; the only question is whether Audi deems them reasonable enough to become fixtures – no pun intended – on its future models.

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There’s more to the concept than just the LEDs though

The massive haul of these lights may be the most-talked about item on the 4.9-meter long Audi E-Tron Sportback Concept, but the concept does have other features that are worth talking about.

One of them is the potent electric powertrain that’s made up of a 320 kW electric drive that helps produce 430 horsepower or as much as 496 horsepower whenever the car’s boost mode (yes, it has one) is activated. These impressive numbers are actually identical to the output generated by the E-Tron Quattro Concept that Audi presented at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Even the concept’s 0-to-60-mph time of 4.6 seconds is square to its predecessor, which means that both models are likely to get the same electric powertrain in the event that they make it to production. In addition, the coupe-crossover concept also features a large 95-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that helps it reach a range of 310 miles. None of these numbers can be considered as final as it relates to future production models, but they do paint a good picture on where Audi is at should it decide to really take the fight to Tesla and its very own Model X.

Beyond the power and performance numbers, the E-Tron Sportback Concept also features an impressive design that looks more production-ready than the E-Tron Quattro Concept. On the other hand, the interior isn’t anything to really get excited about, largely because it’s dominated by touchscreen units that are unlikely to translate to a production model. They do look good from a concept car perspective, but ultimately, it’s hard to imagine Audi adapting this design on the production version’s interior.

All that said, the Shanghai-bound Audi E-Tron Sportback Concept will be talked about because of those LED lights. It’s not exactly an exciting proposition but it still is something that’s worth checking out. Who knows, the set-up might end up looking much better in person than it does in these photos.