BMW Shows Off Car Design That Can Switch Between 32 Colors In One Button

Concept cars aren’t new to the automotive industry. From collaborations between Pokémon x MINI to an ultra-modern Mercedes-Benz that can only exist in virtual reality, you’ve likely seen myriad ideas floated about on the regular. 

But what about a color-changing vehicle? BMW gave fans a first glimpse of the incredible technology at last year’s CES 2022, when it displayed a car that changed its exterior from white to black and back again, all with the push of a button. 

Now, the German automaker has upped the ante further, unveiling the i Vision Dee (Digital Emotional Experience) concept cars at the latest show. This year, instead of just grayscale, the color-changing vehicle can go through a full palette of options at one’s whim and fancy. 

The automaker claimed the car can switch between 32 different colors almost instantaneously, using a specially-designed wrap comprising 240 different E Ink panels, which cover the entire vehicle from its windows to the grilles. 

Did we mention even the car’s wheels can change color? And that’s not all. The display involves two identical vehicles—one of which showcases the color-changing technology, and another displaying a new, modern “user interface” for how drivers can interact with vehicles.

BMW has blurred the lines between a car’s exterior and interior. While drivers might be used to operating the vehicle from the inside, the i Vision Dee turns the front-facing headlines and grille into a display panel, displaying different shapes or colors, much like giving the car its own facial expressions. 

The company goes so far as to say that the vehicle is able to portray different moods and reactions, including approval, happiness, or astonishment. Drivers can even select a digital avatar to be projected onto the side windows to “greet” them as they make their way to the car. 

In addition, the concept car comes with a heads-up display, but one that takes up the entire windshield. This feature is one that BMW plans to actually implement in future vehicles, and could begin using it in actual production starting in 2025. 

[via Robb Report and CNN, images via BMW]