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Google's tiny self-driving cars just got a new coat of paint

Google's tiny self-driving cars just got a new coat of paint

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Google's cute little self-driving cars have been on public roads since this summer — first in Mountain View, California, and then in Austin, Texas. But the bubbly-looking vehicles are now getting a facelift. Shortly after the program launched in each city, Google asked local artists to submit designs for the cars' doors as part of a contest called "Paint the Town." Now, the first winners have been picked in Mountain View, and the company is showing off the designs on the website for its self-driving car program.

The submissions for the Mountain View contest centered around the theme "my community, my neighbors." Some of the winning designs include a sunset-filled sky over a line of row houses, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and a few different takes on local parks. Each winning artist also gets a ride in one of the self-driving cars and a $500 gift card, according to Google. (Submissions for the contest in Austin ended at the beginning of November.) Curiously, though, the newly painted cars are still sporting the old Google logo, which the company replaced on September 1st of this year.