BMW’s crazy experiments: From Vantablack X6 to colour-changing iX and iVision Dee

Apart from the impressive amount of innovations that BMW brings to its cars with each passing generation of models, the German luxury automaker has recently been dabbling in next-gen colour technologies right from the most extreme shade of black that the world has ever seen to concept cars that can change colour and pattern as per user preference. Here is a quick look at BMW’s unique experiments that we have seen coming out of Munich in recent years.

2019 – BMW Vantablack X6 concept:
In August 2019, BMW unveiled a special X6 unlike any it had ever manufactured. This one-off X6 SUV was coated in a special material called Vantablack, which was invented in 1994. It offers the blackest shade of all as it can absorb 99.965 percent of the light falling on the object to which it is applied on. This is possible with the help of a billion carbon nanotubes, each of which is 5,000 times thinner than a human hair. The material has previously been applied to optical instruments used in space research and is not available at any BMW dealership. The only way the vehicle could be identified was due to the signature X6 headlamps and rear light units and the backlit brushed silver kidney grille on the front and VB X6 badging.

2022 – BMW iX Flow concept:
In 2022, BMW captured the world’s imagination with its iX Flow concept electric SUV. It was the world’s first colour-changing car and was unveiled at the CES tech exhibition held in Las Vegas, US. It uses BMW’s electronic ink (E-ink) technology which is comparable to modern-age electronic books. The panels can display variations of patterns in grey and white. The variations are triggered by electrical signals via a mobile app. The special material used to achieve this capability brings different pigments to the surface that lead to a change in colour or opens up dual-coloured patterns.

2023 – BMW iVision Dee concept:
At the 2023 CES in Las Vegas in January, BMW showcased the latest and greatest in its E-ink technology arsenal with the iVision Dee concept. Unlike the iX Flow concept which could alter between grey and white, the iVision Dee concept’s E-ink technology was enabled to support up to 32 colours. The 32 shades can be curated to design a wide variety of design schemes of the concept vehicle’s panels. The iVision Dee featured 240 panels E-ink panels that could be individually configured to have different colours.

These new technologies being showcased by BMW cannot be compared to traditional paint coatings. They are more comparable to an ePaper film or a nanomaterial outer skin. We wonder what the automaker has in plans for enthusiasts next. Tell us what you think in the comments below.