Abstract: The invention provides a thermosetting aqueous basecoat coating composition with a pigment to binder ratio of at least about 0.5 that includes a polyurethane polymer, an acrylic polymer, and a crosslinking component that is reactive with at least one of the polyurethane polymer and the acrylic polymer. The polyurethane polymer has a glass transition temperature of 0° C. or less. The acrylic polymer has a glass transition temperature that is at least about 20° C. higher than the glass transition temperature of polyurethane resin. The invention further provides a composite coating on a substrate having as a basecoat layer a cured layer of the basecoat composition of the invention and having at least one clearcoat layer over the basecoat layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a straight-shade color coating composition comprising a colored metallic flake pigment. The coating composition produces a coating having no apparent gonioapparent effects. The present invention may be used to prepare coatings with increased hiding power at the same color pigment-to-binder ratio or with the same hiding power but lower color pigment-to-binder ratio as compared to previous coating of equivalent hue. The present invention also provides coatings with higher chroma non-pastel colors and cleaner pastel colors as compared to previous coating compositions of equivalent hue.