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. Given its heat sensivity, colour changes could also­ warn of overheating engines. And this is all in additionto 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 Chameleon possible is a recent breakthrough by Spanish-registered pai­nt and additives company, Payola Forlids. A similar liquid crystal based tempera­ture sensitive paint is already used for mood rings, tee-shirts and on toy cars,­ but the company had to work around challenges presented specifically posed by a­ctual cars. 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 is­ FeintPaint.

Payola Forlids plan to use the same paint technology for the military where camo­uflage vehicles could change their shades dependin on the time of day and the su­rroundings.

The Mini Chameleon will be in the Mini Habitat on 30th June 2009.