Covestro presents innovative design concept for electric cars : Trendy automotive finish for an evocative appearance

At the K 2016 plastics trade fair, Covestro presented an innovative concept for electric cars incorporating the latest trends in exterior design. The exhibit will be the highlight of the Covestro booth once again at the European Coatings Show from April 4-6 in Nuremberg, Germany. 'The developments implemented in the concept go way beyond previous limits, offering new solutions for attractively designing comfortable, functional and energy-efficient cars. Lightweight constructions with plastics are the focal point of the developments. Their use extends the range of electric cars and reduces fuel consumption and CO emissions of gasoline vehicles. They also create new requirements for the coating.

To cast the proper light on the exhibit with respect to color, the project team relied on the shade and design expertise of BASF's Coatings division and its premium R-M® brand. An exclusive shade was developed for the project, and its formulation was tuned to the specific requirements of automotive refinishing coatings. Comprising a pigmented waterborne basecoat and a clearcoat, the system used fulfills every requirement with respect to sustainability, efficiency and performance. It is comparable to modern polyurethane OEM coatings.

Rapid drying even at low temperature
The clear coat protects the colored coating layer below. It is based on polyurethane raw materials from Covestro and cures rapidly even at low temperatures. Other advantages include very good coating adhesion and - thanks to the low viscosity - excellent flow. The finished coating is easy to polish to a high gloss. 'It thus underscores the overall effect of the vehicle concept,' said Marc Schreiber, marketing manager for automotive refinish coatings at Covestro.

Isocyanate crosslinkers developed by Covestro, such as Desmodur® N3900, enable the formulation of polyurethane refinishing coatings with particularly low viscosities. These coatings flow quickly and evenly, and cure rapidly. They also exhibit very good weathering, corrosion and mechanical resistance.

Exclusive shade
The pigmented basecoat ONYX HD from R-M® contributes to the evocative appearance of the display car. 'Verbosian Orange' is an exclusive shade that underscores the innovativeness and technical sophistication of the vehicle concept. 'Orange demands attention and imparts presence. At the same time it is very warm and emotional, thus evoking the topic of energy. To achieve the special visual effects, we used a vibrant metallic orange that harmonizes ideally with the car's black and anthracite add-on parts and positively draws eyes to it,' said Mark Gutjahr, head of Automotive Color Design Europe at BASF.

Year after year, the global design team at BASF's Coatings faces the challenge of developing the latest hot colors for the automobile industry. The current collection under the PARALLAX name comprises 65 new shades reflecting global and regional trends. On the global level, the complex relationship between the virtual and real world plays a key role and is reflected in diverse color palettes for cars. Synthetic metallic blue, silver and white shades, for example, symbolize the trend toward the digitalization of working life.

Visit us at the European Coatings Show 2017 from April 4 to 6 in Nuremberg, Hall 4A, Booth 528.

About Covestro:
With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, Covestro is among the world's largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has 30 production sites around the globe and employs approximately 15,600 people (full-time equivalents) as of the end of 2016.

Find more information atwww.covestro.comandwww.basf-coatings.com.

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Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available atwww.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.