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White Cars on Popularity Hot Streak
Holding on to its title for four years in a row, white was named the most popular shade on vehicles around the world.
A breakdown of color popularity by region, plus some predictions for future car colors, is presented in the annual Global Automotive 2014 Color Popularity Report.
Philadelphia, PA-based Axalta (formerly, DuPont Performance Coatings) has produced the annual report since 1953.
"Our Color Popularity Report data not only allows us to see the colors most favored by consumers but, more importantly, it enables us to forecast future trends," said David Fischer, VP of marketing for the company's global light vehicle OEM business.
"Every year, designers from our OEM customers depend on our advanced forecasting to make critical decisions regarding color choices for their vehicle lineup two to four years in advance."
By Color
Black remained a strong overall color, but dropped by one percent (to 19 percent) since last year. Silver has been on a four-year decline and is now down to 14 percent.
Meanwhile, rich colors are picking up speed, as red, blue and yellow all gained one percent this year.
By Region
In North America, white has been the most popular color for eight years, and this year it topped the charts at 25 percent. While pearlcoat variations are the most popular in the U.S., solid white was preferred in Mexico.
Red was more popular in North America than the other regions, and it climbed three percent in popularity this year. White, silver and black all dropped by one percent.
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"Our Color Popularity Report data not only allows us to see the colors most favored by consumers but, more importantly, it enables us to forecast future trends," said David Fischer, VP of marketing for the company's global light vehicle OEM business. |
White held strong at 27 percent in South America, but silver was close on its tail at 25 percent. Black was the third most popular color at 12 percent, and red was a close fourth with 11 percent.
Europe has the most blue vehicles on the road, and the region is mainly interested in light and mid shades. Blue saw "major increases" in the compact/sport and intermediate multi-purpose vehicle categories.
Silver and white continued to decline, and green held only one percent.
White reached 30 percent in Asia, with South Korea seeing 34 percent preference for the color. While black held steady at 19 percent, it has dropped slightly in preference. However, black is the most popular color on luxury vehicles in China at 24 percent. Blue is more popular in Japan than other Asian countries.
Russia showed a five percent increase in white and a four percent increase in brown/beige.
White, at 45 percent, was more popular in Africa than other any other region or country. Silver, although declining, held on to second place at 17 percent.
Predicting the Future
This year's report introduces the Color Matrix, which the company says forecasts colors to use on future production vehicles.
The upcoming trends highlight four color groups: "Shades of Pale"; "Subtle Shadows"; "Electric Brightness"; and "Dash of Darkness." The matrix shows fine or coarse metallics, solids, tintcoats, tricoats and pearlescent varieties, the company says.
Nancy Lockhart, color marketing manager, explained, "Our global color specialists formulate the next generation of coatings colors, as we continually aspire to meet the needs of the constantly changing market."
