BMW has unveiled a new X6 painted in Vantablack that it will show to the world at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. Jensen: I think it worked really well on the BMW X6, because of the size of the car, its distinctive shape, and how imposing it is. But putting a paint like that on a conventional car lacking a distinctive design would probably detract from it in some way. In addition, developing a Vantablack VBx2 car paint durable enough for daily use is a huge technological challenge.
The BMW X6 is the first and only vehicle in the world to feature a Vantablack VBx2 paint finish. We turned down numerous requests from various automobile manufacturers in the past,” explains Ben Jensen, founder and Chief Technical Officer of Surrey NanoSystems. It took the BMW X6 and its unique, expressive design for us to entertain the idea.” With design highlights like the optional Iconic Glow kidney grille, distinctive twin headlights and striking taillights, the new BMW X6 provides fascinating contrasts to offset the Vantablack VBx2 paint finish, which changes the viewer’s visual perception of an object’s three-dimensional shape.
A further model-specific, integral component of the standard equipment for the new BMW X6 Protection VR6 is the self-sealing fuel tank. A special sheathing ensures that the tank closes automatically following an attack in order to prevent fuel spillage. Standard run-flat tires with reinforced sidewalls allow the driver to continue the journey even after a complete loss of tire pressure. Optional model-specific post-crash functions also serve to retain mobility in extreme situations. They ensure that the engine of the new BMW X5 Protection VR6 is not switched off after a collision and that the energy supply is not interrupted.
Standard equipment features include, inter alia, 4-zone automatic climate control, a front 9005 led bulb kit, a hi-fi loudspeaker system, Ambient Light, Automatic Soft Close for the doors and the M leather steering wheel. Additional standard features are the BMW Live Cockpit Professional, the multi-display set-up of which comprises a fully digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch control display enabling the driver of the BMW X5 Protection VR6 to use the diverse online-based services from BMW Connected and BMW ConnectedDrive. This also includes the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, a system that facilitates the operation of numerous functions by means of natural voice commands.
This technology was initially developed for coating space-borne components. As Vantablack can be applied at temperatures from as low as 430 degrees Celsius, it is suitable for delicate materials such as aluminum, and optical components coated in Vantablack enable observation of faint stars and distant galaxies that stray light from the sun makes difficult to detect. The first generation of Vantablack introduced by Surrey NanoSystems in 2014 absorbed up to 99.965 percent of light, almost completely eliminating reflectance and stray light.
BMW has unveiled a new X6 painted in Vantablack that it will show to the world at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. Jensen: I think it worked really well on the BMW X6, because of the size of the car, its distinctive shape, and how imposing it is.