Filed under: Citroen, Frankfurt Motor Show
Citroën may offer the option not having a paint job
There were lots of flashy cars at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Citroën C-Cactus concept was not the prettiest but it was well thought out with ideas that may soon go into production. The designer of the C-Cactus, Gilles Vidal, says "we wanted to look at the whole environmental question from dust to dust. We quickly realised we wanted a lighter car. There's a virtuous [sic] circle where you add some new technology, and before you know it you need bigger brakes to stop the heavier car, and weight just balloons. The C-Cactus is an attempt to get away from that."
Hypermilers will love the efforts to reduce weight in the C-Cactus like getting rid of the dashboard. We think the lack of a dashboard is a little too radical but the lack of a paint job on the side doors has potential. Conceivably, there are silver, gray, metallic, etc. paint jobs Citroën offers. What's the point if the car is already that color? We have never seen a car have the option of no paint job and think it might catch on like hard wood floors for homes. A Citroën spokesperson says it's possible that feature will be used on future production cars.
[Source: Auto Express News, Car Magazine]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tony Belding 2:38PM (9/25/2007)
De Lorean tried the whole no-paint thing with the DMC-12, remember?
Some people liked it. I didn't have any problem with it. But the brushed stainless steel showed fingerprints a bit too easily, and I've heard some buyers were unhappy that all the cars looked the same.
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Adam 3:28PM (9/25/2007)
This is not the first car to have the option of no paint job...the DeLorean DMC-12 was all stainless steel except for some plastic and rubber bits.
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Snowdog 3:46PM (9/25/2007)
Nothing says they are going stainless, which would up price dramatically. So the point of painting non stainless is to protect from corrosion.
But otherwise, sure, saves weight, saves the environment, should save money in the customers pocket.
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kert 3:47PM (9/25/2007)
well, talking about french cars, i have heard the story about Citroen/Peugeot building their cars so that they paint the sheet metal from both sides, and then quickly pull out the sheet from the side .. to save costs :)
So maybe the prices of sheet aluminium is becoming cheaper and paint is getting more expensive or something...
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detroit9000 3:54PM (9/25/2007)
Is aluminum oxide more heavy than paint? What are the environmental effects of sprinkling aluminum oxide all along the countryside?
I personally would love some polished aluminum panels to show up here and there, but I'm afraid the process is a little pricey.
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murc 6:55PM (9/25/2007)
This wont catch on. People like color.
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Tormod Henne 3:28AM (9/26/2007)
Also, the Th!nk BEV is unpainted.
The body panels are plastic with 'embedded' color, exactly like the cap of a soda bottle.
http://en.think.no/oekonomi/service
No polishing, no rust...but not shiny
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Chris M 6:37PM (9/26/2007)
To answer Detroit9000: Aluminum oxide on aluminum parts is thinner and lighter and harder than paint. Aluminum oxide is a very common substance, and is not considered to be toxic. Aluminum oxide forms automatically, and can be made thicker through anodizing, without the volatile solvents used in painting.
Anodized aluminum finishes can be made in a dazzling variety of colors, and is more durable than paint.
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