• State-of-the-artfacility to start operation in 2014

  • Plans to further invest in additional production capacity

Shanghai, China -January 30, 2013-BASFShanghai Coatings Co., Ltd.broke ground todayon a new automotive coatings plantat the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai.This state-of-the-artproduction facility is scheduled to commence operation inearly2014. It complements the company's existingplantin Shanghai, which has been operatingfor more than 15 years.

The investment further strengthens BASF's positionas a leading coatings supplierto the automotive industry in China."As the demand for mobility grows, so does the demand for highly efficient, sustainable solutions for the automotive industry. This investment helpsdemonstrate BASF's commitment to addressing these needs and supporting the dynamic growth of China's automotive industry as the number one supplier from the chemical industry," said Dr. Albert Heuser, President Asia Pacific of BASF.

"High-quality coatings products and eco-efficient manufacturing processes are in enormous demand in China," remarked Peter Fischer, Senior Vice President, Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific, BASF. "We will continue to invest and expand our automotive coatings production capacity,providing coatings solutions according to the latest and most environmental friendly manufacturing processes and technologies."

BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between BASF (China) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd., with more than 15 years of successful partnership.

About BASF Coatings

BASF Coatings, the Coatings Division of the BASF Group, develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. BASF has significant market positions in the Coatings sector in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia Pacific region. In 2011 BASF Coatings achieved global sales of almost €2.8 billion. The internet address of BASF Coatings is www.basf-coatings.com. A copy of BASF customer magazine Coatings Partner can be downloaded fromwww.coatingspartner.com

About BASF

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had approximately 111,000 employees as of the end of 2011. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at or in the Social Media Newsroom at .

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