2019 automotive styling shades trendbook launched

Clariant's biennial global Automotive Trendbook presents the colour areas that will play a role in the automotive industry in the future. The “Marine Magic” collection of automotive styling shades is based on the company's colour know-how and observations of social trends, topics, and industry developments.

It includes analysis of colour popularity and offers solutions based on its organic pigments. Clariant is one of only a few pigment producers worldwide spearheading colour trend forecasting for the automotive industry.

For the year 2019, it explores the colours of the oceans and reefs and the strikingly coloured and camouflaged “outfits” of marine life. It delves into the infinite variety of hues and nuances found in the depths and thinks about what meaning they convey above the water. The result is a presentation of four colour families which are likely to attract different types of personalities and mindsets:

Four colour families

Fancy flexibility: Shiny multitudes

Some colours bring a sense of optimism into our technology- and efficiency-focused lifestyles, but do not attract attention. Because of their simple effects, they require only little maintenance and remain beautiful even at low light.

A taste for tradition: Solitary elegance

These colours provide a car with a touch of timelessness. They are decent and low-key, yet the effects appear valuable, but unintrusive. This is why such colours stand for traditional and rock-solid values like respect and appreciation, but also for sustainability and a careful use of resources.

A sense of curiosity: Explorer by nature

The car is becoming smart, and the consequences on how we travel will be as revolutionary as the transition from feature phones to smartphones. So there are lots of surprises ahead, and it can be thrilling to discover. The intrinsic optimism of such drivers is represented by the choice of bright chromatic colours, too.

Eager for excellence: Look at me!

Some people are definitive individualists. They enjoy power and speed and show this in their choice of exclusive car colours. Individualists are by no means, egotists. However, they operate their lives and machines at the limits, paving the way for those to follow.

Clariant communicates the trends using colour samples coated with original paint and through meaningful imagery. In the new Automotive Trendbook 2019, it displays a wide variety of future shades, made possible by the use of Clariant Hostaperm and Novoperm grades with new opaque, sparkling effect pigments and tinted clear technology.

Bernhard Stengel-Rutkowski, senior global technical marketing manager at Clariant, comments: “We have observed a global colour megatrend towards achromatic car colours since the beginning of the millennium. Now, it’s time for the chromatic shades to stand out and add more colour. Clariant’s biennial Automotive Trendbook is a highly appreciated source of inspiration for the automotive industry, from paint and coatings manufacturers, and designers and trend analysts for automotive colours, to the OEMs and their designers. We are looking forward to sharing this journey into Marine Magic with them.”