Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2012 covering Peugeot’s announcement of “mood paint” for the RCZ. (It was later revealed to be a clever April Fools’ joke by the automaker, but it remains a fascinating conceptual idea for automotive technology).
A new technology supposedly allows your car to actively change its colour as per your current mood. Technicians at Peugeot claimed to have developed this innovative colour changing technology using a psycho-chromatic coating (mood paint), which alters the molecular structure of the paint to emit light at varying wavelengths.
Reading the Driver’s Mood
The driver’s moods are allegedly detected via highly sensitive heat sensors integrated directly into the steering wheel, which read their body temperature and pulse rate to instantly change the exterior colour of the car accordingly. It is paint that changes colour with your mood, giving you a car for all occasions.
French car manufacturer Peugeot proudly unveiled this new car, the Peugeot RCZ, claiming it uses reactive paint to change its body colour in order to reflect its owner’s raw emotions, be it happy, sad, or anything in between.
So if you’re feeling genuinely happy, the specially-coated RCZ will turn a bright shade of yellow, depending on the extent of the emotion sensed. But should your feelings quickly change to intense anger and you’re hit by a fit of road rage, then the car will turn a deep, aggressive shade of red.
And as long as drivers are “happy” to express their private emotions, the whole emotional spectrum of body colours is available to them, including a dark blue for when drivers are feeling a little down, while a calming hue of green will spread across the exterior when a driver is detected to be feeling very relaxed.
Engine Options for the RCZ
Three powerful engine options are available for the RCZ, all featuring a 6-speed manual transmission, with an automatic available on the lower powered petrol model.
The range includes a 1.6-litre petrol 156 BHP (116 kW; 158 PS) THP, and a much higher performance model sharing the Mini Cooper S turbocharged 1.6-litre engine producing an impressive 197 BHP (147 kW; 200 PS) THP. This engine gives the THP 200 rapid acceleration to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 7.6 seconds and a blistering top speed of 147 mph (237 km/h). The 2.0-litre HDI diesel version produces a respectable 163 BHP (122 kW; 165 PS).
A World First Concept
Speaking about the ‘mood paint’ concept at the time of the announcement, product manager Vince Clisham at Peugeot said: “This really is a world first for motoring, to have developed a paint that accurately reflects the emotion of the driver will no doubt have our competitors green with envy. Particularly as our customers can experience this innovation behind the wheel of the RCZ – a sports coupé that already inspires goose-bumps with its double-bubble roofline.”
The RCZ received the Top Gear 2010 Coupe of the Year award and the Auto Express Special Design Award 2010, and it has consistently won prestigious Red Dot awards.
