Axalta: StarLite is Automotive Color of the Year 2018
Axalta Coating Systems today announced the release of its 2018 Automotive Color of the Year. Additionally, to its optical properties the colour is expected to provide some functional benefits.
Borne from Axalta’s Chromadyne line of colour coats developed for automotive OEMs, Starlite is a light and reflective hue that uses Axalta’s tri-coat process which is formulated with synthetic pearl flakes to create an eye catching pearlescent effect. It is a sophisticated colour that is designed to look great on all vehicle sizes while also providing functional benefits.
“While we see white cars everywhere, the rise in popularity of pearlescent pigments that reflect light underscores “Starlite’s” role as a modern, luxury colour”, said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Global Color Marketing Manager
Axalta’s recently released 2017 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, which documents vehicle colour trends by geography, reported white as the number one colour in the world for the seventh consecutive year. Globally, nearly 40 percent of buyers chose white in 2017, which is up two full percentage points from 2016. White surpassed black, the second most popular colour globally by 23 percent. Pearlescent white, the category that includes StarLite, grew four percentage points to 13 percent overall in 2017.
Automotive colour influences emission levels
“Highly reflective colours can contribute to the functionality of driverless vehicles because lighter colours, like StarLite, are more easily detectable by LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems,” Lockhart continued. “So, while 'Starlite” may not apply to all autonomous detection systems, Axalta believes these shades will become increasingly important to automakers.”
Automakers consider many factors when designing a vehicle, including how to protect it from harsh road conditions and environments, safety, emission outputs and fuel efficiency. Researchers at the Berkeley Lab’s Energy Technologies Area showed how a vehicle’s colour affects fuel economy and emissions. Berkeley Lab’s tests found that using white or similar paint instead of black paint could enable manufacturers to downsize a car’s air conditioner and raise fuel economy by 2.0 percent, decrease CO2 emissions by 1.9 percent, and reduce other automotive emissions by about 1 percent.
