PPG Collaborates with Lucid Motors to Develop Coatings for Luxury EV Brand

PPG announced that it has collaborated with electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid Motors to develop unique exterior color effects for Lucid Motor’s luxury EV ranges using the PPG ANDARO pigment nanodispersion technology. The technology provides dramatically higher chroma, or color intensity, as well as increased transparency and clarity.

PPG ANDARO pigment nanodispersion technology provides dramatically higher color intensity, as well as increased transparency and clarity.

The companies used the technology to develop a series of unique colors for the Lucid Air sedan and Lucid Gravity SUV ranges, including Zenith Red, the luxurious and popular garnet hue unique to Lucid Motors. It uses a high concentration of PPG Andaro pigment in both the basecoat and tinted clearcoat layer, including black to add depth

“Exterior colors are hugely important when curating a luxury EV brand identity,” said Nicola Danks, Lucid Motors’ Color, 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 color travel effects, resulting in a sophisticated and competitive color offering, capturing the spirit of the vehicles and both brands’ values.”

“PPG Andaro technology has been used in various color 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 Color Core Team technical supervisor. “In metallics, it can increase “flip-flop” color changing and achieve cleaner color overall. The haziness or diffuse scattering characteristics of some waterborne technologies or conventional tint pastes is also lessened when PPG Andaro is introduced.”

The color offerings for the Lucid Air range also include Stellar White, which surpasses the intensity of other white tri-coats with a clean bright hue and a fine silky mica layer, and Cosmos Silver and Quantum Grey fine metallics, which use thin-milled and fine pearl products to achieve subtle silky effects.

The Lucid Gravity range is offered in a series of high-travel liquid metallics that reference key colors in California landscape and unique special effects. These include Lunar Titanium, which includes fine yellow pearl to create a warmer, sun-influenced highlight – its travel index is very high due to the use of thin-milled effect pigments. Aurora Green uses a multilayer thin-film flake composed of magnesium fluoride and aluminum to produce a diffractive rainbow effect, while Supernova Bronze uses a vacuum metallized pigment to create a true bronze hue with a chrome metallic effect.

“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 color palette that enhances the identity of Lucid Motor’s luxury EVs.”