Porsche: As Requested, A New Colour Every Day

After the Sonderwunsch program, Paint to Sample, and the even more expensive Paint to Sample Plus, the German brand is now considering an idea that could make classic painting almost obsolete.

According to a recently published patent, Porsche is researching a body that changes colour in real time. And not randomly, but in accordance with the environment or even the driver’s clothing. The patent was filed in September 2024 and published in late 2025, and the illustrations show a 911-like car with a special active body surface.

At the center of the system is, as Porsche states, an “actively controllable, optically variable coating.” It is a multi-layered structure with pigment particles that can be excited by electrical impulses and change colour. The coating uses separate layers for red, green, and blue, which, in theory, enables the display of almost any shade, similar to the way screens work.

The method of activation is also interesting. The system would use a camera that analyzes visual information, for example, the colour of the driver’s clothing. There is no obstacle to applying the same principle to the external camera; in other words, the car could “read” the colours around it and adjust the appearance of the body on the fly.

If it sounds futuristic, it should be remembered that Porsche is not alone in this thinking. BMW has been developing colour-changing technology using the E Ink system for several years and presented it to the public through concept and art-car models. The goal is similar—the body as a dynamic surface, not a static layer of varnish.

Of course, there are a number of issues between a patent and serial production. How durable is such a coating? How does it repair after scratches? How much of the body would be “active,” and, perhaps most importantly, how much would it all cost? If this technology ever makes it into production, it will change the way we experience automotive individuality. Instead of choosing one colour, owners could get a car that changes whenever they want.

• Also See: Due To A Decline In Market Share, Porsche Stops Its EV Charging Network In China