The world’s top automakers unveiled their latest models at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit. During the press preview days, Associate Editor Karen Parker and I had the opportunity to meet with Paul Czornij, Technical Manager, Color Excellence Group, and Stacey Russell, Marketing Communications Manager, BASF. BASF’s automotive coatings portfolio includes OEM and automotive refinish coatings.
The company’s modern paint processes, combined with its special-effect pigments and technologies, result in a full-breadth of color solutions and development capabilities. Innovation and technology were clearly the focus at the company’s 4,500-square-foot supplier exhibit. Czornij explained how BASF’s researchers have combined new technology with current trends to develop unique automotive colors, gloss levels and textures for the 2015 model year. Color trends point to a desire to go back to our roots, and are exhibited in BASF’s colors, which have a Native American feel with turquoise, earth tones and non metallics. Another trend is with pastels. Silver, grey, black and white are popular automotive colors around the world.