If you drive on Korean roads, you may occasionally come across a car that seems to have a very unique paint job that looks like some kind of camouflaged zebra print. But it's not just a sweet looking design for the car. Its purpose is more serious.
I've come across a few of these out on the roadways:
Turns out they are called "test mules" (transliterated from English as 테스트 뮬). Although, and I had no idea about this, in actual English they're apparently usually called "development mules" and Wikipedia already explains it better than I can:
A development mule (test mule, or simply mule) in the automotive industry is a testbed vehicle equipped with prototype components requiring evaluation. They are often camouflaged to cover their designs.
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| Development mules on WikiCommons. By B.Forbes, CC BY 3.0 |
Namu Wiki explains that the purpose of the strange zebra style is to make it difficult for the public, or the public's cameras, to clearly identify parts assemblies or branding.
The car is undergoing real-world testing for the body, drivetrain, engine, etc. and many parts may have been welded on from last year's model parts. So it's possible that, without the wacky zebra paint or membrane film, you'd easily see prototype joints, welds, and other unsightly lines that go along with a beta release of a car. In these cases, the front or rear portion of the vehicle is likely not the final design as simply welded on in a an uncosmetic way. Apparently they may even experiment with different engine sizes and designs, so the hood or grill being used during testing doesn't actually fit correctly. The zebra paint disguises all this.
Overall it seems to do a good job of this. Of course if you have a keen eye for cars, you'll likely be able to predict what model this is likely the next iteration of. Still, it helps to make what may be simply a concept car used for testing look actually like a car and less like a sort of Frankenstein mishmash of prior years parts.
Just another fun part of driving in Korea. You might see tomorrow's cars on the road today.
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