88 Products and Markets Analysis of automotive colors Our streets are becoming more colorful By Jörg Zumkley, BASF Coatings GmbH With the BASF Color Report, BASF’s Coatings division publishes an annual overview of the colors that were used to paint new cars over the last year. The data analysis in the latest report is based on global automotive production and paint application to light vehicles in 2021. Contrary to hopes, 2021, too, failed to shine in terms of an increase in worldwide vehicle production. Like in the previous year, the number of vehicles manufactured once again declined. However, the colors of the new cars shone instead: As described in the BASF Color Report 2021, chromatic colors are becoming ever more diverse. Although the traditional achromatic colors such as black, white, silver and gray still made up the largest portion all over the world, the leaders lost some ground compared to the previous years. Instead, chromatic colors like blue and red are increasingly catching up – as predicted by BASF‘s designers years ago. From Asia to South America – blue is having a moment in the sun The latest BASF Color Report reveals that the Asia Pacific region reflects the highest diversity of color. Like in the previous year, blue is the most popular chromatic color, followed by red and brown. This is also the only region in which violet makes up 1 percent of the total. Although white still remains in the lead with 45 percent, its share in SUVs in particular has fallen. North America displays another unique characteristic when it comes to the distribution of colors: This region is ahead of the curve when it comes to the development of chromatic colors. While blue is persistently holding on to its position as the leading chromatic color, experts believe it has now reached a peak that will be surpassed in the future. Here, too, white has the largest share overall with 32 percent. In contrast, in South America, blue is still on its way up, and other chromatic colors such as orange, beige and dark blue are also growing in popularity. Unlike in all other regions, in South America silver is ahead of black. EMEA region: highest share of chromatic colors for two decades The BASF Color Report clearly shows that color diversity has hit a twenty-year high in the EMEA region. While the popularity of black and white is declining for all car sizes, demand is growing for gray and blue in all models and sizes. More than 27 percent of new cars were painted in a chromatic color. With almost 180 different shades – from sky blue to midnight blue – blue is the top chromatic color with an overall share of 14 percent. For the first time in years, red also makes up a large share in the statistics and occupies second place among the chromatics with 7 percent, followed by green and brown. When considering all colors, white still holds the lead with 26 percent, but the gap to gray in second place is now only 3 percent. Like blue, gray also offers great flexibility in terms of shades and structures – 160 different shades are available, ranging from dark and elegant to light and sporty. “Colors designed for EMEA use familiar color positions, but change them with the help of new effects, subtle color gradients, or a specific sparkle behavior. They make the chromatics stand out as bold expressions of individuality and sportiness, gaining popularity each year,” said Mark Gutjahr, head of Automotive Color Design, EMEA. Images: © BASF Coatings GmbH BASF Coatings www.basf-coatings.com PDF: BASF Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings https://t1p.de/0u2xd Share Color diversity in new cars painted in 2021 in the EMEA region BASF Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings
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