The North American economy is still on the road to recovery and the automotive market in particular is on the upswing. The current issue of the BASF Coatings Partner e-journal (www.coatingspartner.com) focuses on developments in the automotive industry and describes BASF’s successful collaboration with its customers in North America.

The current issue contains several features, including:

BASF and Tesla
Read how BASF is providing solutions to Tesla, the innovative manufacturer of electric cars, by being a primary supplier of coatings and also supporting the automaker with engineering plastics materials.

Car color trends: Express more individuality
In the new issue, you can also read about the automotive colors of the future. BASF’s international design team has highlighted progress with this year’s automotive trend collection entitled “Making Headway”. For more than ten years, black, silver, white and, most recently, browns have dominated the scene. Now the BASF design team expects a shift to more colorful coatings in the future.

In his region, Paul Czornij, head of BASF Color Design in North America, is observing a growing desire for individuality. “That’s why we are trying to develop colors that express at a glance: This is me.”
The trend color green will play an increasingly important role in North America, with slightly yellow shades such as lemon. BASF has therefore reworked its greens in addition to colors like blue, dark red and brown and lent them greater depth and contrast.

25 years of partnership with Canadian wholesaler
Successful partnerships usually operate on a long-term basis and are characterized by mutual trust. Read how White & Peters, Western Canada’s leading wholesaler for bodyshop and spraypainting supplies, has closely cooperated with BASF for 25 years.

“From the time we included the first BASF products in our program, they were the leaders in terms of both quality and application,” said Mort Hall, General Manager of White & Peters.

Automotive refinishing sector: BASF supports training
The prerequisite for a perfect finish is not only high-quality coatings, but above all, well-trained staff. BASF is helping vocational schools in the United States, supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation. The non-profit organization is committed to ensuring that students have access to first-class bodyshop training. Learn how BASF is offering both financial support and modern equipment in order to enable the schools to switch over to ecological waterborne technology.