Glen Mills, PA, USA – 7 January 2020 – Axalta (NYSE: AXTA) makes a splash today with its 2020 Global Automotive Color of the Year Sea Glass.This modern turquoise blue shimmers and sets the trend as a fresh new colour for all vehicle types.

Inspired by nature’s waterways and oceans, Axalta’s Sea Glass has depth and intense colour as it glitters in sunlight, making it a colour that consumers want and one that will be noticed by motorists around the world.

Axalta’s 2019 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report reported that blue vehicles are seven percent of the global automotive market, fifth overall following white, black, grey and silver. Regions with the highest level of blue vehicles are North America and Europe at ten percent. “The trend toward turquoise blues is growing,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Global Product Manager - Colour. “Sea Glass was designed for all vehicle types, from compact and sport vehicles to medium sedans and large SUVs and trucks.”

More than just beautiful and trendy, Sea Glass is formulated with reflective properties and is highly detectable by Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems. “Bright and pearlescent, Sea Glass is designed to be transmissible for Radio Detection And Ranging (RADAR), meeting the colour trends of today for the autonomous vehicles of tomorrow,” commented Lockhart. “The transmission properties of Axalta’s Sea Glass, as well as many other colours in our expansive colour portfolio, allow vehicle-to-vehicle detection to occur.”

Dan Benton, Axalta Marketing Manager North America – Colour, said, “Sea Glass is ready for the market now. Formulations for this versatile colour are available in our global waterborne technologies, and we are ready for customers who are actively looking for the next trend in colour.” Axalta’s industry-leading brands, including Cromax, Standox and Spies Hecker will allow painters to apply Sea Glass easily on their next project.

Axalta is a leader in waterborne products that are easy to apply, deliver outstanding adhesion and variable gloss levels, and dry quickly with good flexibility, low levels of toxicity and flammability, making them an environmentally responsibile choice for any business.

Lockhart said, “Sea Glass reminds us of fresh water and ecology, and it aligns nicely with our corporate social responsibility platform of environmental stewardship. Axalta employees are inspired and motivated to help keep our waterways clean, to lower energy and to decrease water usage at our facilities around the globe.” In conjunction with the release of the 2020 Automotive Color of the Year and aligned with its CSR platform, Axalta will help to remove more than 450 kilos of waste from our oceans.

Committed to environmental stewardship around the globe through its Bright Futures programme, Axalta has helped to conserve more than 13,000 acres of wetlands through its partnership with Ducks Unlimited in North America and Ducks Unlimited in Mexico; planted more than 30,000 trees in Inner Mongolia and Hebei Province with the China Mother River Protection Program in partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation; partnered with the S.M. Sehgal Foundation in India to construct three ponds totalling 30-million-litre capacity in the drought-ridden Bhooriya Baas village in the Alwar district and participated in multiple other conservation and environmental stewardship programmes around the world.

For more information about Axalta’s sustainability and the Axalta Bright Futures corporate social responsibility platform and goals, click here.  

About Axalta

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 14 000 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.co.uk and follow us @Axalta on Twitter and on LinkedIn.