When it comes to cars, urban & natural colours create a ‘parallax’

Predicting the up-and-coming colours of automotive design is a challenge the designers from BASF’s Coatings division tackle every year. The overarching theme for this year’s collection of 65 colours is ‘Parallax’, a concept that objects appear shifted or changed when viewed from different angles.

Despite economic and other challenges in the region, Asians remain confident in their future success. This optimistic approach is reflected in fresh, playful colours, such as blue-green. In addition, Asians are looking for creativity and quality, which can be found in the delicate textures of a metallic sand beige colour. In China, the consumer market is in the midst of transformation with the rise of middle-class, affluent households and the development of the post-80s and 90s generations.

As these consumers’ habits and expectations evolve, the colour preferences change as well. Chinese consumers now prefer bright and lighter tones, such as light orange. Parallax-like colours, such as pink gold, greenish grey or black blue, are also preferred, showing Asian sensitivity.