Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The announcement of Axalta’s 2022 global automotive colour of the year, Royal Magenta, highlights the growing popularity of darker tones.
Royal Magenta is a deep cherry colour with merlot and garnet hues, topped off with a luxurious, dark finish. Berry red in sunlight, it reveals a dark, mysterious look in the midnight hours. The hue creates an opulent finish, appearing lush with faceted jewel accents.
“Royal Magenta delivers a new luxury look that is optimized for future mobility,” said Hadi Awada, Senior Vice President, Global Mobility Coatings at Axalta. “With innovative mobility-sensing and environmentally-optimized waterborne technologies, we’re helping the mobility industry transition toward increasingly sustainable solutions, electric vehicles and autonomous driving.”
The sophistication of Royal Magenta comes from Axalta’s track record of providing luxury finishes to the mobility market and ties into global color trends that convey elegance with an indulgent and festive colour offering. Burgundy, violet and cherry-like hues are becoming more fashionable in the market.
However, these colour trends cannot compromise the technical requirements expected by autonomous vehicles. According to Barry Snyder, Axalta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, reflectivity plays a key role in autonomous vehicle detection. Coatings must also allow signals transmitted by sensors under the coating to pass through.
According to Axalta’s Global Automotive 2021 Color Popularity Report, white dropped by two percent while gray and red increased in popularity by 2% and 1% respectively.
Colour preferences in the Global Automotive 2021 Color Popularity Report, Axalta Coating Systems
“We have designed a complex-looking colour that can be applied in a simplified manner,” said Nancy Lockhart, Global Product Manager of Colour at Axalta. “The design process began by tinting waterborne paints with various layering systems to provide depth and colour. With sustainability in mind, the end colour was achieved with a conventional basecoat – clearcoat layering. It’s as easy on the eyes as it is to apply.”
Axalta uses its innovative technology, advanced colour formulations and proprietary insights into global and regional colour preferences to drive future colour trends. For more information about the Global Automotive Color of the Year 2022 and Axalta’s colour capabilities, visit https://www.axalta.com/color.
