New Trend in Europe: "Digital Blue"

BASF Paints and Coatings Division determines the promising colors of automotive design each year. The main theme of this year's collection, consisting of 65 colors, is two competing perspectives shaping the modern world: the allure of the virtual world and naturalism. Expressed through the term "parallax," this concept describes an illusion based on a desire for honest self-expression, yet objects appear changed when viewed from different angles.

Multidimensional Colors Creating Global Trend

According to the new automotive color trends announced by BASF, the blurred relationship between the virtual and real world becomes visible in automotive color palettes. Synthetic, metallic blue, silver and white color tones symbolize a trend toward the digitalization of everyday life. Chromatic colors and natural tones represent a contradiction, particularly in urban areas, reflecting a search for authentic experiences and emotions. Innovative pigment effects enabling the combination of two or more colors with metallic urban colors are enriching the color portfolio of tomorrow's automobiles. Country-specific conditions and developments also shape the regional adaptation of global trends.

Changing Identities in Europe

Changing your position allows you to see different perspectives, thereby making new ideas possible. This is directly reflected in the development of automotive paint, where the changing angle reveals color, effect and texture potential. This aligns precisely with the Parallax theme. According to BASF's color pigments, the idea of the physical world encompassing direct vision is represented by an intense metallic blue with a digital appearance. The "hashtag," a sign of making a statement in the digital world, is gaining increasing importance. Yet Europeans, after using a "hashtag," are still wondering what to say while seeking a way to adapt to the digital world without losing real-life experiences and personal identities. Europe's trend landscape is shaped by a color scale ranging from strong flag red, representing a sentiment providing new ways of change, to darker reds and greens accompanied by anthracite and blacks. Black, which has been one of automotive's main colors for many years, is regaining strength by creating deep and dark effects.