PPG has partnered with Lucid Motors to develop advanced coatings specifically designed for the luxury electric vehicle (EV) brand.

PPG announced a collaboration with electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors to create distinctive exterior colour effects for Lucid’s luxury EV lineup. This partnership leverages PPG’s advanced ANDARO® pigment nanodispersion technology, which delivers significantly enhanced colour intensity (chroma), along with improved transparency and clarity.

The companies applied this technology to create a range of exclusive colours for the Lucid Air sedan and the Lucid Gravity SUV, including the signature Zenith Red—a luxurious garnet shade distinctive to Lucid Motors. This colour features a high concentration of PPG ANDARO® pigment in both the basecoat and the tinted clearcoat, with the addition of black to enhance depth and richness.

“Exterior colours are hugely important when curating a luxury EV brand identity,” said Nicola Danks, Lucid Motors’ colour, material, and finishing (CMF) design director. “Using a tailored approach inspired by space, energy, and time, our two companies collaborated on the use of new pigments, tri-coats, and increased colour travel effects, resulting in a sophisticated and competitive colour offering, capturing the spirit of the vehicles and both brands’ values.”

“PPG Andaro technology has been used in various colour spaces and layerings to enhance transparency and chroma, and we continue to find new ways to use it to achieve standout effects for our customers,” said Mallory Prylinski, PPG Colour Core Team technical supervisor. “In metallics, it can increase “flip-flop” colour changing and achieve cleaner colour overall. The haziness or diffuse scattering characteristics of some waterborne technologies or conventional tint pastes is also lessened when PPG Andaro is introduced.”

The Lucid Air range also features colours like Stellar White, which delivers a clean, bright finish that outshines typical white tri-coats, enhanced by a fine, silky mica layer. Additionally, Cosmos Silver and Quantum Grey offer refined metallic finishes, utilising thin-milled and fine pearl materials to create elegant, subtle, silky effects.

The Lucid Gravity range features a selection of high-travel liquid metallic finishes inspired by the colours of the California landscape and enhanced with unique special effects. Lunar Titanium incorporates fine yellow pearl to deliver a warm, sunlit highlight, with a high travel index achieved through the use of thin-milled effect pigments. Aurora Green showcases a multilayer thin-film flake made of magnesium fluoride and aluminium, producing a striking diffractive rainbow effect. Supernova Bronze utilises vacuum-metallized pigments to create an authentic bronze tone with a distinctive chrome-like metallic finish.

“This collaboration between PPG and Lucid Motors exemplifies how pigment technologies and visionary design can come together to redefine the aesthetics of electric mobility,” Prylinski said. “By leveraging the advanced capabilities of PPG Andaro technology, the two companies have created a distinctive and emotionally resonant colour palette that enhances the identity of Lucid Motor’s luxury EVs.”

Source: PPG