MINI launches Singapore's first colour-change car

MINI's first colour-morphing car will make its Asian debut in Singapore in June. Called the MINI Chameleon, the car's paint reacts to ambient temperatures and moisture and changes shades accordingly.

The car's colour would, for instance, brighten on a rainy day to improve visibility and enhance driver safety, while on a sunny day, it would lighten to reflect heat, keeping drivers cool. And this is all in addition to providing the striking image of a colour-morphing car on the road, even if it might make the car a little harder to spot in a car park if the weather changes.

Making the MINI Chameleon possible is a recent breakthrough by a Spanish-registered paint and additives company called [I]Payola Forlids[/I]. A similar liquid crystal-based temperature sensitive paint is already used in mood rings, T-shirts and on toy cars, but the company had to work around challenges presented specifically posed by actual automobiles. The car's colour had to morph evenly, despite the car's angles and curves, and the paint also needs to be able to weather the elements. The result: [B][I]FeintPaint[/B][/I].

Treatment of the car involves [I]FeintPaint[/I], a special polymer, being applied to a galvanized piece of automotive sheet metal steel with superparamagnetic iron oxide particles embedded within in. The particles are controlled using a low grade magnetic field which effects the spacing of the crystals, controlling their ability to reflect light and change color. The surface is then coated with a UV protective coat.

There have been attempts by other companies to apply thermochromatic paint technology to cars and create color-changing capabilities, but the MINI Chameleon will be the first of its kind to hit Singapore roads.

"One of MINI's distinctive characteristics has always been the colors we have put out, and having a car with color-changing capabilities gives that a whole new dimension. We've received a lot of requests pertaining to color customization, and this is about as far as one can go, so we expect the MINI Chameleon to be very well-received," said BMW Asia's marketing director Ramesh Divyanathan.

Said [I]PayolaForlids[/I] spokesman Phul Sanchez, "The MINI Chameleon was the perfect car for us to showcase [I]FeintPaint[/I]. Color changes take just seconds, and it's amazing to watch, though one hopes the MINI Chameleon won't distract other drivers on the road! We are thrilled to have it perfected for the MINI."

Next up for the company, he reveals, are tweaks to the paint to allow it to be used on military camouflage vehicles for morphs depending on the time of day and the surroundings.

The MINI Chameleon will be in the MINI Habitat showroom on June 30, 2009.

[IMG]http://www.oneshift.com/showroom/uploadimages/resized-2009040130255705.jpg[/IMG]

Credits: JRC