BASF’s Coatings division has unveiled its 2024-2025 Automotive Color Trends collection, titled “ROUTING.” The theme reflects the concept of routing in communication technology, emphasizing how information is transmitted and how communication influences color design. The collection is designed to inspire automotive designers around the world, with colors that reflect the evolving nature of communication.
The latest trends feature vibrant reds with intense purple shades, shifting away from darker, blueish reds. Dark achromatic colors are energized with dynamic effects, while metallic colors are given a new radiance through fine metallic finishes. Pastel shades are diversifying, with beige and light green tones, along with unique intermediate colors. Sustainability remains central to the collection, with many colors developed using renewable, recycled, and bio-based materials, optimized for sensor-based driving systems.
In the Americas, HOLDING SWAY is a key color, featuring a purple hue with a blue shift effect, symbolizing the merging of dual energies. In EMEA, HARBINGER’S INK is a deep black color that incorporates biodegradable pigments and carbon-negative components, representing the integration of sustainability into automotive design. SCINTILLATION in Asia Pacific stands out with its metallic gray hue and liquid metal effect, created using a low-emission basecoat technology that emphasizes the region’s focus on refined, sustainable design.
Automotive OEMs will likely incorporate these trends into their models over the next three to five years, bringing these innovative colors to roads and driveways in the near future.