MINI has a long tradition of colour diversity. A contrasting paint finish for the roof once helped the classic Mini to achieve a particularly expressive appearance and has continued to set attractive visual accents in various colour tones since the launch of the modern MINI 20 years ago. With the exclusive Multitone Roof, the individualisation of the MINI exterior achievable by means of paintwork now reaches a whole new dimension. For the first time, an innovative wet-on-wet painting process is being used at the MINI plant in Oxford, UK, to create a three-colour design for the vehicle roof.
The pioneer for the innovative form of roof design is the MINI Cooper SE (power consumption combined: 17.6 – 15.2 kWh/100 km according to WLTP, 16.9 – 14.9 kWh/100 km according to NEDC). For the first time, the Multitone Roof was offered as part of the MINI Electric Collection for the British premium brand’s all-electric model, which was presented alongside the world premiere of the latest new edition of MINI’s small car models. In the meantime, the Multitone Roof, which is unique worldwide in the mass production of automobiles, is available as an optional extra for both the premium small cars MINI 3-door and MINI 5-door as well as for the MINI Clubman, which is successful in the premium compact segment.
The visual highlight of the new design feature is the flowing gradient between the three colour tones selected for the Multitone Roof. From the dark San Marino Blue in the front section of the vehicle’s roof, the colour scheme gently transitions to the lighter shade of Pearly Aqua, then just as smoothly to Jet Black in the rear section. The unique aesthetic created by this colour gradient is also easily recognisable in conjunction with the optional panoramic glass roof as well as the optional roof rails. The colour scheme of the Multitone Roof forms an interplay that is as appealing as it is harmonious with almost all the body paint finishes available for the MINI 3-door, the MINI 5-door and the MINI Clubman. It is therefore available in combination with all exterior colours with the exception of the Chili Red uni and British Racing Green metallic variants as well as the Indian Summer Red metallic available for the MINI Clubman.
With the contrasting paint for the roof, the characteristic three-part division of the MINI body is emphasised particularly intensively. The horizontal structure of vehicle body, glass passenger cell and roof is a design principle typical of the brand. The design of the roof becomes an expression of personal style. Depending on the model variant, contrasting paint finishes in white, black and silver are offered as optional equipment ex works. A red-painted roof is also available for the John Cooper Works models. In addition, the MINI Original Accessories range includes roof decors in various designs – from the Union Jack to the Checkered Flag design – for retrofitting.
The expansion of the range of contrasting paint finishes to include the Multitone Roof is made possible by the introduction of a new type of painting technique at the British MINI plant in Oxford. There, the light colour Pearly Aqua is first applied to the roof of the correspondingly configured vehicles. In further steps, San Marino Blue is applied to the front of the roof and Jet Black to the rear, creating the flowing colour gradients characteristic of the Multitone Roof. The innovative painting process is fully integrated into the automated production process at the MINI plant in Oxford. Nevertheless, slight deviations in the colour pattern occur due to changing environmental conditions, so that each MINI with a Multitone Roof is already given the character of a unique specimen by the painting process at the factory .
