Why Nissan’s Aurora Blue Metallic Changes With Light

Paint design and production

Updated October 16, 2026

Nissan’s Aurora Blue Metallic was developed to look different as the light changes. In its March 12, 2025 explanation, Nissan described the work behind the 2025 Murano’s finish.

Why the blue changes character

Nissan’s color-development account describes a process taking more than two years. A blue aluminum flake adds depth; a color-shifting flake introduces reddish shades. Designers evaluated samples under different lighting, on different materials and at different times of day.

The Japanese design team worked with Nissan Design America, whose team checked pre-production vehicles at the Smyrna plant. Nissan identified Aurora Blue Metallic as an extra-cost option on the 2025 Murano SL and Platinum.

Color development and paint inspection do different jobs

Choosing an intended appearance is one task; finding an unwanted surface blemish is another. Nissan’s separate September 30, 2024 factory-inspection report explains how its AUTIS system used high-resolution cameras to take 15,000 photographs of a freshly painted vehicle and flag possible imperfections.

Technicians then reviewed, confirmed and categorized the findings. Their feedback helped the system recognize defects such as dirt, fibers and craters. The account describes automated detection assisting people, rather than a machine independently certifying every finished vehicle.

Nissan reported the system operating at Smyrna, Canton and Aguascalientes. This does not describe a later repair or establish the present condition of a particular used Murano.

Reading the finish

Light and viewing angle therefore belong in a comparison of this finish. They do not identify a repaint or prove that a particular used vehicle retains its factory paint.