Just in time for Halloween—orange is the new black

BY ALAN BAKER

When Paul Czornij – Head of Design at BASF’s Color Excellence Group in Southfield, Michigan – sees orange, he’s transformed to another place.

“Orange is open and inviting,” said Czornij.  “A pleasant feeling sweeps over you.  You’re at home on a cool autumn day, completely at ease in front of crackling orange flames in the fireplace.”

Czornij noted that orange – the color of sunsets, fires, pumpkins, Halloween and fall leaves – was not a common color in BASF’s Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings that came out in early 2019. (This report is BASF's annual global analysis of color distribution for the current automotive market from different parts of the world.)

But presently, more consumers are choosing colors in the orange family for a lot of items that they own. “Customers want to see colors that reflect trends and style from diverse areas,” Czornij added.  “Orange is a focus color in textiles and interior design, and we’re exploring how to transform it into vehicles.”

Orange is not easy to make, but several newer pigments and combinations of colorants have expanded Czornij’s vision for orange.  “We could do things we hadn’t done before. Orange can be ‘in your face’ such as a street hawker in a market square, or the quiet luxury of a desert savanna that leaves you speechless from the vastness and beauty of it all,” he said. “What’s more, we can make matte colors that soften the overall impact.”

For years, buyers have generally chosen black, white, or shades of silver or gray for their vehicles.  According to BASF’s Color Report for North America, about 75% of the market is dominated by those three color families.  Red and blue are always there in smaller quantities, along with a tiny smidge of green or other colors.

Rarely does orange ever make it to a dealer’s lot.  “We didn’t do much in orange for several years, until now,” added Czornij.  “It’s always a tug of war as you try to balance what carmakers and car buyers want.”

About half of all new vehicles manufactured worldwide contain at least one layer of BASF’s automotive coatings.  Czornij has a hand in creating BASF’s Automotive Color Trends collection to give automakers a menu to inspire them for the coming years.

“If BASF is going to continue to be number 1 in color around the world, then we have to give carmakers a diverse color palette,” Czornij concluded.  “It may drive our lab people nuts while we try to make shades of orange, but it’s what we do.”

So, while you’re out trick or treating tonight, keep an eye out for those pumpkin-colored vehicles in your neighborhood.