BMW has pulled the covers from a car that can change colour, thanks to the application of colour E Ink technology.

Following on from the black and white BMW iX Flow that was the highlight of CES 2022, BMW has gone a step further switching up a gear to showcase a colour changing car at CES 2023.

Unlike the previous model that switched between monochrome tones and was based on the BMW iX production model, the new colour-changing skin is applied to a concept, called the BMW i Vision Dee.

BMW i Vision Dee photo 2
BMW

The Dee stands for "digital emotional experience" and there's a lot more to this car than just the changing colour.

But how did BMW accomplish this feat? It worked with E Ink to cover the car in 240 E Ink segments, each controlled individually and capable of displaying up to 32 different colours. As with the iX Flow, the panels are laser cut and adapted to fit curved surfaces to create the effect.

The result it that just about any colour combination can be achieved, meaning the car can be adapted to suit your style, your mood, or your outfit of the day - and it only takes seconds to change the design.

The BMW i Vision Dee offers a lot more than just chameleon skills. It's designed to fuse the physical and virtual worlds adopting things like interior projection technology to allow your avatar to be displayed on the window and to have the entire windscreen used as a heads-up display.

This car is designed to be able to slip between realities, more than just a vehicle to explore the physical world, you can slide into the virtual world, pulling in digital content to enhance the experience.

BMW i Vision Dee photo 7
BMW

We especially like the reimagining of the BMW kidney grille on the front of the car, which, thanks to E Ink panels can now be more like a set of eyes, able to react to you digitally, in the physical world.

It also offers an interior more like a comfortable lounge, with the windows able to be dimmed on demand.

Of course, it's just a concept, but there are some interesting ideas here - and it sounds like BMW is going to be pushing to have full-windscreen heads-up display capabilities on its production cars from 2025.