Cars

BMW X6 hides its curves in Vantablack

This light-absorbing paint makes things look two-dimensional.

Andrew Krok

Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

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Andrew Krok

Aug. 28, 2019 11:16 a.m. PT

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BMW this week unveiled a third-generation X6 covered in Vantablack paint.

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Consider this the last major teaser before the chopped-roof utility vehicle makes its debut at Frankfurt in two weeks' time.

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While nearly every corner of the car is obscured, it's pretty easy to make out the roofline and the grille, the latter of which is illuminated because that's the world we live in now.

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Vantablack reflects just 1% of the light sent its way, removing an item's three-dimensional appearance and making you feel like you're staring into a black hole.

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It achieves this reflectivity by using carbon nanotubes in vertical alignment, which absorbs nearly all light, converting it to heat.

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After its debut in Frankfurt, BMW intends to shove the SUV into showrooms in November, seeing as how its X5 sibling has been on sale for some time now.