HIROSHIMA, Japan - Mazda Motor Corporation today introduced Rhodium White Premium, a special paint colour born from our unique Takuminuri*1 painting technology. This new colour will be available this summer, predominantly for our Large Product group models, starting with the Mazda CX-60*2.
Mazda believes colour is a crucial part of what gives shape to a vehicle, and thus we are focusing efforts on developing colours that accentuate a dynamic and delicate expression via the Kodo - Soul of Motion design theme. Rhodium White Premium is a pure white inspired by Japanese aesthetics finding beauty in simplicity and the absence of superfluous elements. Furthermore, the paint's fine grain accentuates the shadows on the surface of the vehicle complimenting the metallic texture of Rhodium White Premium.
Developing Rhodium White Premium, we were able to take Takuminuri to new heights, successfully mass-producing an expressive colour using only three layers: a clear layer, a reflective layer and a colour layer. The colour layer provides a newly developed white pigment that delivers a silky smooth, fine-grain white. As a standard practice with white-colored paints, the undercoat tends to show through, and the clear coat is generally thicker than for other colours. However, Rhodium White Premium uses a newly developed pigment thanks to which we were able to reduce the thickness of the colour layer by up to 30%*3. This also contributes to more efficient use of resources and a reduction of CO2 emissions during the production process.
For the reflective layer, we use a method in which paint containing ultra-thin, high luminance aluminium flakes are applied meticulously to achieve a uniform thickness and which then dramatically shrinks in volume during the drying process. Resulting in an extremely thin reflective layer down to approximately 0.5 microns or about 7% of the thickness of a typical reflective layer.
Moreover, we were able to achieve a hand-painted finish with the aluminium flakes smoothly aligned at regular intervals in the reflective layer*4. The entire surface gleams when exposed to light and displays a realistic metallic texture. Individual aluminium flakes are distributed evenly and parallel to the undulations of the body surface, producing a glossy and shaded appearance when hit by light despite the bright white colour of Rhodium White Premium.
As we believe colour to be a key component of any vehicle, Mazda will continue to pursue new colour expressions and painting technologies to enhance the attractiveness of our products, aiming to become a brand that shares a special bond with its customers.
