Automotive Color Predictions for 2020

BASF’s Color Excellence Team comes up with head-turning colors by region.

 

There are those who feel that the color of your car is every bit as important as what’s under the hood, and BASF’s Color Excellence Group are definitely among them. The Color Excellence team, comprised of chemists, industrial designers and artists, have once again collaborated to come up with automotive color predictions for 2020.

 

The team points out that automotive design is a well-documented process. However, they question how auto manufacturers choose the car colors that are going to undoubtedly attract that next wave of customers. How do suppliers ensure that not a single dollar is misspent, and that new buyers are excitedly torn over the options laid out in front of them when picturing that new Tesla in the driveway? The answer: By finding out what people want, and giving it to them!

 

“There is so much emotion and psychology attached to color, which makes it an ideal expression of one’s image of the outside world,” said head of design Paul Czorni at BASF North America. That emotional buying logic is precisely the reason why the Color Excellence team annually travels to every corner of the globe, deeply analyzing every observable trend, and leaving no stone unturned.

 

The results for 2020: Sixty-five original, highly-intuitive, head-turning colors, regionally separated to entice and excite those that stirred them, according to the team. Here are three top examples for three regions:

 

• North America—Raingarden

Heavily influenced by America’s entrepreneurial and unstoppable can-do attitude, Raingarden is a forceful metallic silver that portrays strength and a rock-solid foundation. It also rewards particularly keen observers, as it can appear blue or green depending on your vantage point.

 

• Asia—Deep Dive

To successfully balance Asia’s insatiable creativity and proud traditions, the Color Excellence Group selected Deep Dive, a lively blue green. And as Asia continues to expand economically, research shows a vast amount of buying power in its emerging middle class. The young, optimistic, and innovative are both the target and inspiration behind this color.

 

• Europe—ASMR Blue

The European trend is guided by the question “What comes after the hashtag”—the search for a way to adapt to the digital world without losing track of real experiences and identities. A major color direction for the automotive industry is represented by ASMR Blue. The artificial yet appealing blue works as the perfect connection between the physical and the upcoming virtual world.