Surventis released its newest Automotive Color Trends collection Oct. 27. Automakers use the collection’s trend directions when developing future vehicles, and their influence often reaches production models in a few years’ time, according to a Surventis press release.
Titled Nexistential, the collection is the first the Muenster, Germany-based company has issued since it began operating as a standalone business, the company said. Surventis labels it the 2026-2027 edition.
“More complex automotive finishes pose some repair complexities. ... For refinish professionals, repair quality depends on matching both the hue and the visual effect of the original finish,” Surventis told Autobody News.
The company added that “the collection offers designers and refinish providers an early look at finishes they may need to create or restore.”
Three regional key colors
The collection centers on one key color for each of three regions, according to Surventis.
- Chromotopic Metal (Americas): A shade that sits between white and metallic silver. Surventis said an advanced mica technology, built for two-coat application efficiency, gives the finish its metallic look.
- Horizon Flux (Asia Pacific): A reinterpretation of classic silver whose look shifts slightly with light and motion, adding depth to a balanced appearance.
- Motile Red (EMEA): A deep burgundy with vivid red highlights. Its formula includes non-fossil content and pigments made from transformed waste streams, the company said.
Across the full palette, Surventis paired expressive shades with calmer ones, including deep blues, bright reds, warm neutral tones, and contemporary pastels. The company said specific effect pigments and surface finishes cause the colors to look different depending on light and viewing perspective.
Design leaders on the collection
“As people increasingly seek experiences that feel relevant and authentic, mobility must combine physical and digital experiences in meaningful ways,” said Mark Gutjahr, global head of design at Surventis. “Colors, materials, and surfaces play an important role in this connection. They help express identity, create emotional engagement and strengthen the relationship between people and their vehicles.”
“NEXISTENTIAL is more than a color collection,” said Chiharu Matsuhara, regional head of design for Asia Pacific. “It marks the beginning of a new chapter for Surventis. While our name has changed, our passion for innovation, design excellence and customer collaboration remains the same.”
How the collection is built
To build its automotive color trends collection each year, Surventis designers study global developments in society, technology, consumer behavior, nature, and mobility, then turn those findings into concepts for color, surface, and texture, according to the release. This year’s theme addresses how people find direction amid ongoing change, and the name joins the notion of the future with existential questions of the present, the company said.
The prior collection, Driving the Proxy, was released for 2025-2026 under the BASF Coatings name. It featured refined faux solids with subtle sparkle and a move toward warmer tones such as reddish shades, mauves, and browns, according to a BASF press release. That collection included 45 colors, with Tesseract Blue (EMEA), Phygital Magnetar (Asia Pacific), and Auxetic Neutral (Americas) as its regional key colors. BASF said in the release that Bursting Blue, a color from an earlier collection, had become widely adopted on the road.
BASF also published an annual Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings tracking popular passenger vehicle colors around the world. The 2023 edition found white remained the most popular color for light passenger vehicles, while black was quickly gaining share.
Lisa McArdle