Lighting unit for vehicle

The automobile has a lamp unit (66) mounted at the outer end of the automobile chassis, with an associated reflector enclosed by an energy-absorbing deformation element, which collapses in the axial direction for absorbing an impact loading against a counter-surface (82) of the chassis. The reflector is combined with a lamp glass (72) and a lamp housing (70) for providing a separate unit, with the lamp housing itself acting as the energy-absorbing deformation element, collapsing against a vertical counter-surface of the chassis.