Acompany well know for its role in automotive paints, has been showcasing its latest new innovations, alongside the car manufacturer’s new offerings at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

BASF, uses the tag line, “the world’s leading chemical company” and indeed its role in the development of cars encompasses much more than just paint. The chemical giant used the show to highlight its increasing important role in the motor industry and how it works closely with car designers, engineers, collision repair centres and OEM manufacturers on delivering innovative product ideas to create lighter, safer, more colourful and more energy-efficient cars.

Some of the key technologies featured by BASF in Detroit were:
The world’s first full plastic wheel concept that shows high potential for mass production, made from BASF’s impact-resistant specialty polyamide Ultramid Structure. The wheel is more than 30% lighter than a standard production aluminium wheel and significantly contributes to vehicle weight reduction.

The official North American launch of the Ultramid ENDURE line of plastics, which is a highly heat-resistant family of products that are suitable for replacing metal in automotive engines, helping to reduce weight and cost.

The company’s HED cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIB), which can offer higher energy density, safety and efficiency and help meet the evolving requirements of batteries in automotive drivetrains. In addition, BASF offers tailor-made electrolytes to the LIB industry.

BASF’s automotive coatings portfolio, which includes OEM coatings and automotive refinish coatings to the collision repair industries.  BASF’s modern paint processes combined with its special effect pigments and technologies, result in a full-breadth of colour solutions and development capabilities.