The new “XSpark – designed by BASF” basecoats for automotive OEM coating contains very fine glass particles that reflect the light with greater precision, thus creating a pronounced sparkle. It glitters in an even more focused and intensive manner than any other currently known special-effect coating, according to the company.

While developing the special-effect coating specifically for the automotive sector, the designers collaborated closely with the lab experts. The glass particles integrated in the coating flash clearly in the light, resulting in a pure, single-colored reflection. XSpark is targeted especially at premium car manufacturers and their customers.

With XSpark, BASF is putting another special-effect innovation in the “XColors – designed by BASF” product family on the market.

XColors are innovative colors that feature special effects or exceptional color depth while being highly suitable for series production. They include the XFine coatings, which emphasize the shape of the body particularly strikingly thanks to its intensive metallic effect. For these color innovations, BASF won an award in the 2011 Automotive Brand Contest and the Materialica Design & Technology Silver Award in the surface and technology category.