MUNICH, Germany—Deep in the mechanized heart of BMW's assembly plant here is a tiny but significant symbol of Australian ingenuity. Amid the 1,200 robots and other automated machinery is a buffing machine dusting car shells with emu feathers.

TOKYO—Nissan has commenced testing of a new super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint technology, the Ultra-Ever Dry, which would enable a car to automatically clean itself.

DEARBORN, MI—Ford Motor Co. will expand its 3-Wet paint process to four more plants across three continents in 2013. The high-solids, solvent-borne process applies three layers of paint, including primer, base coat and clear coat, while each layer is still wet.

YORII, Japan—Honda has developed a more ecological painting technology that moves from a four-coat, three-bake process to a three-coat, two-bake water-based process.