Applications for interior

Our products for car interiors increase the occupants’ safety while also reducing the vehicle’s weight. Car interiors can then be more comfortable and quieter, but also more resilient, durable and, in the future, even better air-conditioned.

Design – more design freedom and comfort

With BASF’s high-tech materials like Elastoflex^®, Elastofoam^®, Elastollan^®, Elastocoat^® and Elastoskin^® as well as the engineering plastic Ultramid^® and plastics additives, modern automotive interior design can be achieved – for processors and automotive manufacturers alike. Apart from the high-class surface quality, the refined feel, look and acoustics and the long service life, the materials convince with efficient production, reliable service and global system solutions.

Surface finishing – luxury finishes

Nearly all parts of a car's interior can have a surface made from valure^TM or leather. BASF’s broad portfolio of materials allows drivers to design upscale interiors with high-quality materials without sacrificing variation in either look or feel. Both materials are pleasant to touch, have high abrasion resistance and have long-lasting durability. With valure^TM, function meets emotion to give your products a truly distinctive look and feel.

Steering wheel – everything at your fingertips

Steering wheels made from BASF’s Elastofoam^® integral polyurethane system have a soft core with a tough outer skin. They are good looking, lightweight and wear resistant. Available in all vehicle classes, this polyurethane core is particularly suitable for integrating many different functions into the steering wheel.

Seats – next-generation seating

BASF offers a wide product portfolio for seat applications. From materials for seat pans and backrests using Ultramid^® to covers and upholstery made with Neopolen^®. In addition to reducing weight, these products also provide more comfort by offering ergonomic advantages and simplifying the manufacturing process. For a fabric finish, valure^TM offers a wide range of design possibilities from perfect interpretations of natural surfaces to novel presentations of technical textures. It can be applied on various substrates and the finish is breathable.

Dashboard – greater safety, greater comfort

For stylish dashboards and protective panels, polyurethane-molded skins with Elastoskin^® ensure fine tactile properties. The semi-rigid foam Elastoflex^® is ideal for foambacking skins and molded parts, guaranteeing soft contours.

Cladding – interior decor with style

BASF cladding materials give car interiors a luxurious look and feel. They exhibit excellent stability, are extremely lightweight, reduce sound and vibration, and adhere to substrates.

Plastics are increasingly used to create door panels. The molded skin Elastoskin^® not only delivers advantages in texture, fogging and emissions, it also has a low odor. For door claddings, Ultradur^® is a cost-effective material.

Headliner – high stiffness, low emissions

Though available space and thickness is limited, car headliners are the biggest surface to absorb sound and reduce reverberations.

Elastoflex^® E 3943 is the perfect fit for this application. It provides acoustic active headliner parts of high stiffness and very low emissions at an extreme low density of 22-35g/l.

Arm rest and mid console – cost efficient one-shot process

Easy to clean, abrasion, scratch and impact resistant surfaces are particularly appreciated in commercial vehicles. Elastofoam^® parts combine flexibility and haptics in an extraordinary durability.

These parts can be produced with in-mould coating in a cost-effective one-shot process that enables a wide range of applications in armrests, even with functional joystick controls, handrails or floor mats.