A special paint predominantly developed for their Large Product group models starting with the CX-60, Rhodium White Premium is meant to accentuate the dynamic, yet delicate Kodo – Soul of Motion design theme.

Rhodium White Premium is a pure white inspired by Japanese aesthetics finding beauty in simplicity and the absence of superfluous elements. Furthermore, the paint's fine grain accentuates the shadows on the surface of the vehicle complimenting the metallic texture of Rhodium White Premium.

In developing the new shade, Mazda’s Takuminuri—or paint craftsmen brought their skills to new heights by mass producing a color using only three layers: a clear layer, a reflective layer, and a color layer. The color layer provides a newly-developed white pigment that delivers a silky smooth, fine-grain white.

As standard practice with white colored paints, the undercoat tends to show through, and the clear coat is generally thicker than for other colors. However, Rhodium White Premium uses a newly-developed pigment where Mazda was able to reduce the thickness of the color layer by up to 30 percent compared to Snowflake White Pearl Mica. This also contributes to more efficient use of resources and a reduction of CO2 emissions during the production process.

For the reflective layer, Mazda used a method in which paint containing ultra-thin, high-luminance aluminum flakes is applied meticulously to achieve a uniform thickness and which then dramatically shrinks in volume during the drying process. This results in an extremely thin reflective layer of just 0.5 microns or about 7 percent of the thickness of a typical reflective layer.

Moreover, Mazda achieved a hand-painted finish with the aluminum flakes smoothly alighted at intervals in the reflective layer akin to Machine Gray Metallic. The result is a surface that gleams when exposed to light, displaying a realistic metallic texture. The individual aluminum flakes are distributed evenly and parallel to the undulations of the body surface, producing a glossy and shaded appearance when hit by light despite the bright white color of Rhodium White Premium.

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