I love car keys. I like to dress them up in little leather sleeves or put them on a nice keyring that shows off how dignified they are. I mean, keys only unlock one of my most prized possessions in the world, my car. They deserve love.
Mazda thinks so, too, because it now makes painted, color-matched keys for its cars. OK, fine they’re fobs or transponders, but it counts!
Mazda in Germany announced the colorful keys as accessories that will be available to order from dealers immediately, and I have to admit, If I was a Mazda owner who lived in Deutschland, my key fob would suddenly be lost right now and I’d be putting an order in for one of these bad boys:
Surprisingly the fancy keys don’t cost an unreasonable amount of money, at least not considering all the horror stories I’ve come across about losing a key and paying the dealer hundreds of dollars for a replacement. The color-matched keys will start at €110 EUR, or about $133 USD, and will come in the following colors that correspond to factory finishes, per Mazda:
- Magma Red Metallic
- Polymetal Gray Metallic
- Matrix Gray Metallic
- Onyx Black Metallic
- Satin White Metallic
- Moonstone White Metallic
Color-matching keys is a good idea! Mazda says that the keys undergo “the same painting process as the [car] body,” and I can’t help but daydream of polishing and waxing one of these keys on car wash day.
Sure, the keys are a little chunky and the finish makes them seem flashy but just look at these river stone car keys:
Oh, they’re just wonderful. It’s little touches like this that really make the ownership experience great and I’m surprised that it’s coming from a company like Mazda, versus the more pretentious companies. I can appreciate Tesla’s attempt with their little toy car fob, but, eh, it’s a little too on the nose for me.
These Mazda keys on the other hand are just cute and fun. But now that I think about it, forget what I said earlier because If I were a Mazda driver in Germany I would probably drive the little Mazda2, which is sadly the only car in the current generation that you can’t order one of these keys for.
Come on, Mazda. If you’re gonna shine your light on the world, do it for all your drivers.