A lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle having a processing module configured to receive, process and send signals from a data bus of the motor vehicle, and a light-emitting diode (LED) unit configured to emit light of adjustable brightness and prescribed color locus, where the LED unit has a microcontroller and a plurality of LEDs. The microcontroller and the LEDs are surrounded by a package of the LED unit, and the LED unit has a temperature sensor configured to measure a present temperature value on the LED unit and to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that the present temperature value on the LED unit is ascertainable by the temperature sensor and the processing module.