Axalta Announces 2026 Global Automotive Color of the Year: "Solar Boost"

Axalta Coating Systems announced "Solar Boost" as its Global Automotive Color for 2026. Defined as a warm and radiant orange tone, Solar Boost offers an energetic and eye-catching effect suited to modern vehicle design, while its champagne-toned metallic particles enhance its dynamism.

According to the company's announcement, Solar Boost is positioned as a bold and decisive color that displays a distinctive shimmer from sunrise to sunset.

Color Preferences Influence Purchasing Behavior
Hadi Awada, President of Axalta Global Mobility Coatings, highlighted the decisive role of vehicle color on consumer perception:

"A vehicle's color shapes the consumer's perception of safety, sportiness, elegance and even resale value. According to our research, more than 80% of automobile buyers view color selection as an important criterion in their purchasing decision. For this reason, it is critical for OEM manufacturers to monitor global consumer trends."

Solar Boost reflects a period in which consumers are moving toward more personal and expressive color preferences. It aligns particularly with younger and trend-focused users' tendency to move beyond neutral colors.

Global Emotional Expression of Orange Strengthens
The selection of Solar Boost is based on Axalta's global color research. The orange tone is reported to create similar emotional responses across different geographies:

-North America: Warmth, optimism, creativity

-Latin America: Vibrancy, celebration, life energy

-Asia-Pacific: Growing interest in saturated and assertive tones, particularly in the EV segment as a marker of identity and differentiation

This shared emotional foundation makes Solar Boost a powerful automotive color representing individuality and confidence.

Where Science and Design Meet
Dr. Robert Roop, Senior Vice President and CTO of Axalta, offered the following assessment regarding the technical process of the selection:

"Solar Boost is the result of our teams' experience in bringing together the art and science of color. We draw inspiration from human psychology and popular culture; then we apply our expertise in color science, optics and coating formulation to produce this color as a coating that is manufacturable, beautiful, durable and sustainable."

12th "Automotive Color" Selection
This year's selection marks the 12th consecutive time Axalta has determined the "Global Automotive Color." The company's 160 years of color design and mobility coatings research experience contributes to automotive manufacturers' more accurate management of consumer trends.

About Axalta
Axalta is a global company providing protective, durable and high-performance coating solutions across a wide range of applications from automotive to industrial. Operating in more than 140 countries worldwide, Axalta is known for its innovative products for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, electric motors, facade coatings and other industrial applications.