ON VOLUDE – the theme of BASF’s 2023-2024 Automotive Color Trends collection
- The classic automobile color wheel has had its day, and BASF has propelled color through a series of shifts
- A combination of human and non-human intelligence partnered up to create the ON VOLUDE collection
- Consideration of the growing need for sustainability and functionality
Each year, designers for BASF’s Coatings division create a new collection of colors to inspire automotive designers around the globe. This year, non-human intelligence was a strong driver for the creation of the ON VOLUDE collection from Automotive Color Trends by BASF for 2023-2024.
When BASF’s designers looked at what their trend signals were telling them, they realized it’s time for a color update, as the classic automobile color wheel has had its day. Non-classic automotive hues emerged, propelling colors through a series of shifts reflecting a positive mood, with a focus on lighter shades and the exploration of new, expressive color spaces.
ON VOLUDE provides exciting colors that also adopt an increasing focus on sustainability and functionality. As customers rely on the BASF collection to design automotive colors for their future models, one will see the new direction on the road or in the driveway in the next three to five model years.
EMEA – Exploring features beyond color position
The palette for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) puts a highlight on bright beige colors. Pastels also play an important role, introducing interesting non-automotive color positions into automotive design.
As seen throughout the ON VOLUDE collection, colors in EMEA explore features far beyond color position. They add sustainable, recycled raw materials, LiDAR and RADAR compatible concepts, and haptic surfaces.
“Expressive colors reflect our will to communicate and speak up,” said Mark Gutjahr, head of Automotive Color Design for EMEA. “When we bring non-automotive colors into the mix, we broaden that conversation even further into new and exciting color spaces.”
Asia Pacific – Realistic approaches to sustainable concepts
For ON VOLUDE, designers in Asia Pacific (APAC) explored and enriched the important color spaces for whites and grays, while adventurous new color spaces like shimmering green pastel and fluorescent red offer new expressions to meet the growing individuality of car buyers in APAC.
The collection shows realistic approaches to sustainable materials, sustainable processes, and a diversity of sustainable concepts and effects.
“This palette can create amazing color harmonies that are futuristic, modern and playful interactions between color and effect combinations,” said Chiharu Matsuhara, head of Automotive Color Design for APAC. “These sustainable concepts are reimagined in a more realistic way, boosting BASF’s leadership in sustainability.”
Americas – colors evolving in their functionality
The Americas palette seeks optimism and divergence that celebrates possibilities in all modes of art and design. The color spaces are evolving in their functionality while building in excitement.
The collection features softer hues, minimized textures and subtle moves that aspire toward future goals near and far. Colors in the Americas contribute to cooling effects in the vehicle with solar reflectance, work with sensor-based mobility concepts, and explore more approaches with responsible raw material sourcing.
“In this year’s collection, red leaning pastels and mid-tones are replaced by restorative yellow and green effects suggesting renewal,” said Liz Hoffman, head of Automotive Color Design for the Americas. “The connection complements both grounded color spaces and otherworldly escapes. It shows evolving mindsets in automotive design.”
Color Expertise of BASF Coatings
Every year, the designers of BASF’s Coatings division study future trends which they use as foundation for the development of surface, texture and color positions. They draw inspiration from industry, fashion, consumer products, nature, technology, and more. This research is shared with BASF’s customers, the automotive designers, to drive future mass production plans.
ON VOLUDE contains functional concepts with realistic approaches. BASF’s designers set a global benchmark in color by also focusing on technology and innovation, which are important drivers for the automotive industry. The target is to meet those functional requirements while still being visually and haptically exciting.
BASF also leads the world in the global tools it uses to create new designs and share them with automotive designers. By using BASF’s AUROOM® – a digital platform providing digital color – the design process is faster and more efficient.
About BASF’s Coatings division
The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. This portfolio is supplemented by "Beyond Paint Solutions", which enable new applications with innovative surfaces. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2022, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €4.2 billion.
Solutions beyond your imagination – Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
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