Capturing the Changes and Emotions of Our Time Through Color
The first Automotive Color Trends collection since Surventis' brand renewal builds on decades of color expertise.
Surventis has unveiled its 2026–2027 Automotive Color Trends report, themed NEXISTENTIAL. This is the first Automotive Color Trends collection introduced by Surventis as an independent company. It builds on decades of experience in automotive color development, continuing the company's long-term commitment to design innovation and close collaboration with vehicle manufacturers worldwide.
Each year, Surventis' color designers analyze global developments in society, technology, consumer behavior, nature and mobility. They translate these insights into innovative concepts for color, surfaces and textures that shape the Automotive Color Trends collection. These insights inspire future vehicle design and color development at automotive manufacturers, with some trends gradually appearing in production vehicles over the following years.
The theme NEXISTENTIAL explores the search for orientation in a rapidly changing world. Its name brings together the designers' vision of the future and the existential questions of the present, as digital, societal and personal certainties are redefined.
Around the world, technological innovation, changing values, environmental challenges and evolving lifestyles continue to reshape how people live, work and move. Rather than waiting for stability to return, people are learning to find their way through change. This sense of initiative and adaptability forms the foundation of NEXISTENTIAL.
The NEXISTENTIAL palette combines expressive, vivid colors with quiet tones. Deep blues, vibrant reds, warm neutrals and contemporary pastels reflect the desire for both stability and progress. Special effect pigments and distinctive surface treatments create changing impressions with light and viewing angle, giving the colors a dynamic, emotional character.
“As people increasingly seek authentic, personalized experiences, future mobility is exploring a deeper integration of physical and digital experiences,” says Mark Gutjahr, Global Head of Automotive Color Design at Surventis. “Colors, materials and surfaces play an important role in this process. They shape visual and tactile experiences while helping people express identity, create emotional connections and deepen the relationship between people and their vehicles.”
Three Regional Key Colors and a Special Key Color for China Tell a Global Color Story
At the heart of NEXISTENTIAL are three regional key colors and a special key color developed for the Chinese market. They offer different responses to the global theme of transformation, creating a spectrum that spans rationality and emotion, light and shadow, stability and movement.
Understanding Change, Finding Direction
HORIZON FLUX, PRISMAPHOR, CHROMOTOPIC METAL and MOTILE RED together capture the essence of NEXISTENTIAL. Each of the four colors offers a different interpretation of orientation in an age of transformation. Together, they show how future automotive design can balance innovation with humanity, technology with emotion and progress with meaning.
“NEXISTENTIAL is more than a color trend collection; it also embodies the vision of Surventis' new brand,” says Chiharu Matsuhara, Regional Head of Automotive Color Design, Asia Pacific, at Surventis. “Our brand has changed, but driving innovation, pursuing design excellence and creating value together with our customers remain at the heart of our passion.”
As mobility continues to evolve, Surventis will continue working with automotive manufacturers to identify social and consumer trends and translate these changes into color concepts that resonate with future consumers.
About Surventis (formerly BASF Coatings)
For more than 130 years, Surventis' science and passion have supported the preparation, protection and sealing of metal and plastic surfaces across industries, vibrant finishes for new vehicles and precise color matching for vehicle repairs. Through brands including Chemetall®, Glasurit® and R-M®, Surventis works with more than 42,000 customers in over 140 countries to address complex surface technology challenges. The company employs around 10,700 people worldwide, generated sales of approximately €3.9 billion in 2025 and is headquartered in Muenster, Germany. Surventis is owned by funds managed by Carlyle, with BASF holding a 40 percent stake. For more information, visit www.surventiscoatings.com.
Source: Chinese-language press release supplied by Surventis. English translation of the supplied manuscript.
HORIZON FLUX — the Asia Pacific key color. Color visualization supplied by Surventis in the press release. 
PRISMAPHOR — the special key color for China. Color visualization supplied by Surventis in the press release. 
PRISMAPHOR automotive concept visualization supplied by Surventis in the press release. 
CHROMOTOPIC METAL — the Americas key color. Color visualization supplied by Surventis in the press release. 
MOTILE RED — the Europe, Middle East and Africa key color. Color visualization supplied by Surventis in the press release. 
