BASF publishes automotive colour trends
Artificial intelligence is on everyone’s lips and naturally also influences the coatings industry. BASF Coatings has taken advantage of this influence. The new “ON VOLUDE” collection for the upcoming Automotive Colour Trends is the result of a combination of human and artificial intelligence.
According to BASF atypical colours for the automotive sector are becoming increasingly relevant and are causing various changes in colour diversity. The new collection now includes new shades with an increased focus on sustainability and functionality.
Since, according to the manufacturer, customers rely on its colour collection when developing shades for future models, these new shades will be in use in three to five model years. The colour palette for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has a clear focus on light beige tones. Pastel shades also play an important role – they bring colour spaces that are not familiar from automotive design. As in the entire colour collection, the new shades in the EMEA region not only open up new colour spaces. They react with sustainable and recycled raw materials,
LiDAR- and RADAR-compatible concepts and haptic surfaces, they also respond to functional and ecological requirements.
In all areas, artificial intelligence will require an even greater openness to new technologies in the future. According to BASF Coatings, however, at the same time the focus will be shifted more towards human competencies and needs. This is what the key colour of the EMEA region – “PERDICTOR” – is meant to symbolise. With its soft, almost neutral shade, it combines human and artificial intelligence, according to the designers at BASF Coatings. With its striking and warm shimmer on a matt surface, the striking shade picks up on the future importance of the human factor.
“Expressive colour tones reflect our willingness to speak up,” explains Mark Gutjahr, Head of Automotive Colour Design, EMEA. “By including new and unusual shades for the automotive sector, we are expanding the collection to include new and exciting colour spaces.”
Red, Pastel and Functional
In Asia Pacific, the white and grey colour spaces have been enriched with new designs and innovations. In addition, designers have considered brighter colour spaces and effects that give vehicles a friendly appearance. Shimmering green pastels and fluorescent red take into account the desire for individualisation. The collection includes realistic approaches to sustainable materials as well as diverse sustainable processes, concepts and effects.
The shades for the Americas region reflect sunlight and thus have a cooling effect in the vehicle. They are also combined with sensor-based mobility concepts and open up new possibilities in responsible resource sourcing. In this year’s colour collection, red pastel and mid-tones are replaced by yellow and green hues.