Coatings
Driving Color Design
What colors will you see on the road in three to five years? That’s the vision the BASF design team offers automotive OEM customers through expertise in trend research and the design and creation of bold, unique colors.
Color is a major and strategic factor that defines the first impression of a vehicle. It calls attention to its shape and the automaker’s brand image. A well-suited color on a car can be a make-or-break decision for a potential buyer.
Designing a car color is challenging. It considers the complex interplay of hue, saturation, texture, surface, and metallic or pearlescent effects. BASF’s color designers continually monitor the trend indicators that determine the future look of vehicles, and create appealing colors for a very demanding market. BASF’s world leadership in color keeps automotive designers on the cutting edge, delivering what their customers want, and staying ahead of the competition.
![Elizabeth Hoffmann Elizabeth Hoffmann](/api/imaging/focalarea/16x9/210x/dam/jcr%3A53f19805-ddd2-3e63-9d71-8454cf53b720/Liz_Hoffmann.png)
“Compelling color campaigns result from diverse discovery – influencing while innovating toward new mobility – Drives Us!”
Elizabeth M. Hoffmann, Color Designer for North America
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“As futurists we rethink the idea of the car as a product – driving colors for new technologies and new mobility concepts.”
Mark Gutjahr, Global Head of Automotive Color Design for BASF
![Chiharu Matsuhara Chiharu Matsuhara](/api/imaging/focalarea/16x9/210x/dam/jcr%3A749beb6f-9963-3ced-8479-98f9dfbb1091/basf_surface_solutions_color_design_Chiharu_Matsuhara_2.jpg)
“Lifestyles and mobility patterns are changing rapidly – young people are particularly looking for more and more color in their lives.”
Chiharu Matsuhara, Head of Automotive Color Design for Asia Pacific