Toyota Motor has announced a new paint stripping technology that will allow the Japanese automaker to offer its customers a new additional service by next year.
The paint stripping technology will allow old Toyota cars to be repainted in one of more than 100 colors offered without any problems. The automaker claims that a new coat of paint can be removed without harming the original finish. This service is initially only available in Japan.
This new technology is based on statistics that show that people have been keeping their cars longer. With the introduction of this new technology, Toyota hopes to help people own cars even longer. In addition, this technology will give enthusiasts the freedom to choose a new color.
A report from Nikkei Asia claims that Kinto, a Nagoya-based company owned by Toyota, will offer this new service to owners of vehicles covered by Toyota subscriptions. The company has not yet announced pricing for this service. The report claims that pricing details, as well as possible service center locations, are being clarified at this time.
In terms of technology, Kinto is said to use a high-speed water jet to remove existing paint from the vehicle. This will avoid possible damage to the original paintwork. Other paint removal jobs use special chemicals to remove the paint. The source also claims that with a new coat of paint, the car will have better protection from rain and wind.
How the issue will be handled with local authorities when changing the color of the car, the source did not specify.