Interior & Exterior

With BASF’s high-tech materials like Elastoflex^®

(PU), Elastofoam^® (PU), Elastollan^® (TPU), Elastocoat^® (PU) and Elastoskin^® (PU), Cellasto^® (PU) as well as the engineering plastic Ultramid^® (PA6, PA66, PA66/6, PA610, PA6T/6) 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 wheels made from BASF’s Elastofoam^® (PU) 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.

BASF offers a wide product portfolio for seat applications. Amongst others, this includes materials for seat pans and backrests using Ultramid^® (PA6, PA66, PA66/6, PA610, PA6T/6). 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.

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

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^® (PU) not only delivers advantages in texture, fogging and emissions, it also has a low odor. For door claddings, Ultradur^® (PBT) is a cost-effective material.

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

Elastoflex^® E 3943 (PU) 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.

Easy to clean, abrasion, scratch and impact resistant surfaces are particularly appreciated in commercial vehicles. Elastofoam^® (PU) 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.

Pivots and track glides made with Cellasto^® provide smoother, more effortless movement. In armrests, gloveboxes and consoles, Cellasto^® delivers consistent material behavior and stands up to grit better than conventional elastomers to provide long-lasting performance.

BASF’s glazing products exhibit first-class mechanical characteristics, easy paintability, high temperature resistance and UV stability, so that glass does not become yellow and frames of sliding roofs are well maintained.

Frames made of Ultramid^® (PA6, PA66, PA66/6, PA610, PA6T/6) can be stylishly thin and slide easily. The temperature resistant and UV-stable Ultradur^® (PBT) keeps the frame of sliding roofs in good shape even when exposed to sun, rain or snow.

Plastic reflectors in headlamps are lighter and more cost efficient than those made of metal. They offer high temperature resistance while still maintaining design flexibilities.

The high-performance plastic Ultrason^® (PSU, PESU, PPSU) reduces heat build-up using a new pigment system that absorbs visible light but lets heat radiation pass through.

For bezels, Ultradur^® (PBT) is an ideal material when excellent surface quality and direct metallization are requested.

Ultramid^® (PA6, PA66, PA66/6, PA610, PA6T/6) meets the high dimensional stability demands as well as legal requirements for safety insurance due to its rigidity and high-impact strength. Bumpers can be made from Elastolit^®(PU), a rigid polyurethane with particularly high-impact strength.

BASF offers a wide portfolio of innovative technologies and solutions for all four coating layers – from the e-coat to the primer, the basecoat and finally the clearcoat. These technologies ensure that the paint is resistant to the year-long high stresses caused by rain, UV radiation, hot and cold temperatures, gravel from the road, and the brushes at the car wash. 

The innovative e-coat CathoGuard^® 800 is the leading technology for automotive corrosion protection providing excellent material properties. 

BASF has also developed an innovative clearcoat, iGloss^®. The extremely tough clearcoat sets new standards in scratch resistance. It reduces the creation of annoying microscratches, like those that can come about at the car wash. 

BASF also develops and markets automotive aftermarket products for a comprehensive portfolio of coating solutions. The automotive refinish coatings are approved by most of the leading automotive manufacturers and are used in their authorized bodyshops.

With BASF products, the production of automotive body parts is simpler and less expensive. The portfolio enables lightweight parts that are dimensionally stable, tough, and exhibit high-impact strength and stiffness. Simultaneously, they are especially suitable for use in parts exposed to sunlight and heat. 

Door sills made from Elastolit^® (PU) benefit from the plastic’s particularly high impact strength. Complex metal parts like lock covers and hinges are powder injection-molded with Catamold^®, a mix of metal granules and the plastic Ultraform^® (POM). This gives the parts the quality of forged components while the production is easier and less expensive.

Attached parts produced with BASF products have an excellent surface quality, can be painted easily, and are extremely resistant to influences like sunlight or heat. Elastolit^® D 8832 (PU) is easy to paint and has first-class mechanical characteristics. For example, BASF plastics help keeping mirror housings glossy and in place. For the inside mechanics and the mirror arms, the versatile engineering plastics of Ultramid^® (PA6, PA66, PA66/6, PA610, PA6T/6) , Ultradur^® (PBT) and Ultraform^® (POM) are the materials of choice. They offer excellent mechanical properties and good design possibilities.

BASF offers the perfect adhesion for automotive glass encapsulation. The aromatic Elastolit^® R 8919 (PU) provides a high-quality surface with tailored UV- and weather-resistance supporting the integration of various functions and reduction of process steps. Colo-fast^® systems are convincing with a very high UV-stability, because they are based on aliphatic isocyanates. 

Elastolit^® (PU) enables thin lightweight components in vehicles without quality cuts.
Compared to conventional processing, the new process offers impressive weight savings.The usual component thickness can be reduced by less than 0.5 mm without having any negative impact on processing, quality or mechanical properties.

Applied to painted surfaces, this aliphatic TPU film protects against minor abrasion, splatters or stone chips. The Elastollan^® (TPU) properties, though, guarantee a brilliant look of the paint.