Zoom-Bloom: Mazda Patent Makes Colors Pop

Zoom-Bloom: Mazda Patent Makes Colors Pop

 For the past few years, I have been searching for a new SUV. The process was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the global chip shortage, but now that the market is stabilizing, I am finally able to evaluate my top options. The Mazda CX-90 in Soul Red Crystal is currently at the top of my list.

Soul Red Crystal is not just a standard paint color, it represents a key part of Mazda’s design philosophy that was developed to evoke magma. According Keiichi Okamoto, this color was developed through extensive testing to observe how it interacts with the vehicle’s curves and depth, aiming to highlight the car’s sculpted surface. This color is closely aligned with Mazda’s Kodo design language and incorporated reflective aluminum flakes too small to be individually perceived by the human eye.

Mazda’s Kodo: “Soul of Motion” design language is intended to convey a sense of movement, even when the car is stationary. Mazda designers focus on how light and shadow interact with the car’s surfaces, using these elements to emphasize form, expression, and the dynamic beauty of the vehicle.

The Soul Red Crystal paint uses a patented multi-layer coating process, as described in US Patent US12319026B2.  According to the patent, the system includes three main layers:

• A lustrous layer including a resin base, aluminum flakes (as a luster material), and a blackish pigment.
• A colored layer with a resin base, a reddish pigment, and a second blackish pigment.
• A transparent clear layer for protection and gloss.

FIG. 1 of US12319026B2

Photo by Jeong Hee Seo

Mazda 3 in Soul Red Crystal

The patent describes a multi-layer coating system where a metallic base reflects light, a translucent colored layer modulates this reflection to create vivid highlights and shadows, and a clear topcoat adds gloss and protection. This combination maximizes color depth and vibrancy. This paint system achieves greater color saturation and depth than previous Mazda reds. The result is a finish that emphasizes the sculpted curves of Mazda’s Kodo design and advances automotive color technology.

Additionally, Soul Red Crystal is now available on some Toyota models. At the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing facility in Alabama, both the Mazda CX-50 and Toyota Corolla Cross are produced, allowing Toyota to offer Soul Red Crystal on the Corolla Cross and Mazda to use Toyota’s hybrid system in the CX-50 Hybrid, combining Mazda’s design with Toyota’s technology.

I can’t wait to hit the road and let that Soul Red Crystal shine—Zoom Zoom!

Jeong Hee Seo is an associate patent attorney at Fishman Stewart. He focuses on protecting a diverse array of technologies, including display systems, semiconductor fabrication, cellular networks, wireless networks, Internet of Things, optical communication devices, and micro-electromechanical systems.