Dirt off/self cleaning paint by Nissan. Maybe thick MUDs too?

I know many of us like it lil dirt/y but this will be very interesting

[video=youtube_share;UwoGsCAKsxU]http://youtu.be/UwoGsCAKsxU[/video]

 

The tech site Ars Technica did a quasi-review of another commercially available hydrophobic coating here. It doesn't sound like these coatings or processes are quite ready for prime time (toxicity, breaking down over time, cost, etc.) but might have interesting applications.

If I were Nissan or any other automaker and looking for ways to improve automotive appearance over time I'd much rather have a car whose composite headlamps didn't pit and yellow and a clear coat that can stand up to more than five or six years of sun and environmental contaminants without requiring careful upkeep before it starts chalking, flaking and peeling.

 

This is cool, but I wonder how it will work on dry particulates such as brake dust and pollen? Looks like the paint works by using a hydrophobic coating, which would repel anything water based (like mud). I don't know about you guys, but my car and bikes almost never get dirty from mud, it's usually the dry stuff.

Food for thought.