Xiaomi EV’s custom color “Nightfall Rose” wins the 2026 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards

• Recognized for breakthroughs in color design and technical innovation, Xiaomi EV’s custom color “Nightfall Rose” receives the honor 

The custom color “Nightfall Rose”, with its design led by Xiaomi EV and enabled by BASF Coatings’ technical solutions, has received the 2026 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards – Coatings Industry in the “Innovative Coatings of the Year” category. It is also the only color innovation recognized among this year’s award winners.

“Nightfall Rose” was among the first colors unveiled under the Xiaomi Customization Service in 2025. Based on a combination of dual-color cool and warm pastes, the shade is crafted through a precise formulation of red aluminum flakes and pearlescent flakes, combined with a highly thixotropic resin system to create an ever-changing color effect under different lighting conditions. Under direct light, the surface reveals a warm red brilliance. In backlight, the tone deepens into a soft, hazy purple hue. 

“Nightfall Rose” adopts BASF Coatings’ full-layer coating solutions, covering e-coat, primer, basecoat and clearcoat, including CathoGuard^®︎ 800 e-coat, SecuBloc primer, ColorBrite waterborne basecoat, and ProGloss^® 2K clearcoat. 

Since 2021, BASF Coatings has partnered with Xiaomi EV, delivering advanced technical solutions. For the first batch of colors of the Xiaomi Customization Service, BASF delivered full-layer coating solutions – from e-coat to clearcoat – for multiple colors. These colors include “Nightfall Rose”, “Velocity Red”, “Dawn Pink (Matte)” and “Buttercup Yellow”, based on Xiaomi’s design requirements. 

Jack Zou, Vice President, Global Key Account Management Asia Pacific OEMs, Global Automotive OEM Coatings, BASF, said: “We are honored that ‘Nightfall Rose’ has been recognized with the Innovative Coatings of the Year award. This color fully demonstrates Xiaomi EV’s creativity and aesthetic excellence, while further validating BASF Coatings’ ability to translate design concepts into high-precision mass production. Leveraging our leading full-layer coatings technologies, we are proud to support an innovative partner like Xiaomi EV and deliver enhanced color experiences to customers.” 

About Xiaomi EV 

Xiaomi EV Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Xiaomi EV”) is the automotive business entity of Xiaomi Group, focusing on the research, development, and industrialization of smart, connected new energy vehicles. Established on November 18, 2021, Xiaomi EV completes a key pillar of Xiaomi’s “Human × Car × Home” smart ecosystem. Leveraging Xiaomi Group’s strong technological foundation in consumer electronics, extensive user base, mature sales network, and comprehensive user scenario coverage, Xiaomi EV has, since its establishment, consistently pursued a vertically integrated business strategy encompassing in house R&D, manufacturing, and sales. With distinctive strengths in hardware–software co innovation, intelligent ecosystems, R&D capabilities, and user engagement, Xiaomi EV is committed to building vehicles driven by hard core technology and delivering high quality intelligent electric vehicles to users.

About BASF Coatings 

BASF Coatings is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. We share skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, South America, Middle East, Africa, North America and Asia Pacific. In 2025, our businesses achieved global sales of about €3.7 billion.  

BASF Coatings – Driven by passion and science, we always go beyond the surface. For more information, visit www.basf-coatings.com and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About BASF 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 108,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.