American color prejudice revealed - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Botnst · #1 09-22-2007, 06:48 PM

Hottest car colors
Friday September 14, 6:00 am ET
Erin Peterson
In the car color popularity contest, silver continues its reign.

Nearly 20 percent of all 2006 vehicles (the latest year for which figures are available) were silver -- the seventh consecutive year that the color has taken the top spot.
There's good reason for that, says Chris Webb, the exterior color and trend designer for GM North America. "There's no question that silver on a vehicle looks incredible," he says. "When the light hits it and refracts, it shows off the vehicle's architectural form beautifully."

The color has other advantages, too: It hides dirt, it's an enduring favorite and it's easier to resell than other colors. (In the United Kingdom, many police agencies have switched from white to silver, because the silver cars fetch a higher resale price -- up to 10 percent higher than white cars -- after they've been pulled from the fleet.

Silver got a bump in the late 1990s as a result of a growing interest in technology, the future and Y2K, says Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager at DuPont. "Metallic finishes -- whether on cars, cell phones or stainless steel kitchens -- really took off," she says. "And now that it's stayed a top color for so long, it's become a safe color."

Still, there are signs that silver's popularity has peaked. "Silver is a cold color, and people are beginning to look for more warm and inviting surroundings," says Teresa Wong, a color designer at Mitsubishi Motors. "Silver isn't going to go away, but it might be declining."

Stuck in neutral?
White, gray and black take the second, third and fourth spots on the list, respectively.

While the colors may be popular, they don't necessarily represent what buyers actually want, says Barb Parker, a color designer for JDSU -- Flex Products.

"In the United States, most cars are bought off the lot," she says. "Dealers pick gray and silver and black because they're safe."

These neutral colors are also popular for rental cars. "A lot of vehicles go into the rental car fleets -- if you look around at rental cars, you'll see that they're silver or other neutral colors," says Parker.

Surprisingly, these neutral color trends are reflected particularly in the youth market, says Webb. The Scion brand, which is heavily targeted to the Generation X buyer, features remarkably subdued hues. "There's not a single bright color on the vehicle," he says. "Youth don't want that, because then they assume it was marketed to them. They associate bright colors with cheap, disposable products."

As a whole, the popularity of neutral color choices reflect a financially unstable climate, where buyers stick to safe, conservative choices, says Webb. The good news is that color is making a comeback.

A more colorful market
Henry Ford once famously said that his customers could purchase his cars in any color -- as long as it was black.

Today's consumers, however, have many choices, and they're starting to take advantage of brighter, bolder colors on their vehicles. "People are willing to go further with color," says Webb. "Lifestyles are becoming about extremes now -- for example, we're seeing a lot of extreme reality TV shows -- and the same thing is happening to color."

Medium colors, like the midvalue greens seen on cars in the late 1980s and 1990s, have been abandoned in favor of more saturated hues.

"Colors are very bright and chromatic," he says, noting that purples and oranges are finding their way onto vehicles-- even if they're not yet in the top 10. Some 50 percent of vehicles in GM lines have an orange hue available as an option, a color Webb thought would be a flash-in-the pan trend five years ago.

Parker agrees that color is back. "You'll still have blue cars," (No. 5 on the list) she says, "But instead of navy, you'll see cobalt. Greens (No. 8) might be Kelly green."

She says the change will be particularly notable on sport cars and small pickups, where school-bus yellow (No. 10), bright orange and red (No. 6) make dramatic statements.

Even staid silvers are getting a colorful update-- some of them can now be seen with green and silver tints.

Looking ahead
While it's likely that conservative color choices will tend to dominate the car market for years to come, Webb suggests that there is a growing interest in more unusual colors.

"People are starting to want to customize, personalize and express themselves," he says. "One of the easiest ways to do that on a car is to change color."

Color Popularity Survey
The numbers reflect the percentage of vehicles manufactured during the 2006 model year in North America, as compiled by DuPont.

1. Silver 19%
2. White 16%
3. Gray 13%
4. Black 13%
5. Blue 11%
6. Red 11%
7. Light Brown 7%
8. Green 4%
9. White Pearl 3%
10. Yellow/Gold 3%

Thanks to new technologies and processing techniques, consumers have color choices and options that weren't widely available years ago. One popular trend is colors that seem to change depending on the light that hits it and the angle at which you see it.

"It's amorphous," says Barb. "Is it gray, is it green, is it blue? These are cars that seem to have a little bit of everything." The high-tech hue-shifting finishes have tiny metal flakes, usually aluminum, added to the paints to create the special effects.

Wong believes another paint trend may make a big impact in the near future. "There's a trend toward water-based paints," she says. It may not look any different on the car, but the paints reduce the amount of harmful emissions known as VOCs, which should pique the interest of environmentally conscious buyers.

And if you want to pick a color that's making a comeback? Try a deep, luxurious brown, says Webb, who says that we can thank Starbucks for the reinvigorated color.

"There used to be a lot of negative connotations to brown -- like mud and dirt," he says. "But now it's a color associated with premium coffee and luxury."

He says that the Buick Enclave, a luxury crossover vehicle, has benefited from brown. Its cocoa exterior is the top-seller among its color choices.

Surcina predicts that golden hues like copper and bronze also will be seeing a resurgence in the next two to four years.

While color trends may suggest what's popular for many, Parker recommends buying a color that you love -- not one that everyone else does. "Don't just buy whatever's on the lot," she says. "Order the color you want, because you're going to look at it every day for years. Let it express who you are."

Larry Delor · #2 09-22-2007, 06:56 PM

Next thing you know, we'll have "mood paint". A finish that will change color according to your mood. If you want to know for sure if your wife/husband is ticked off, have them get into the car first.

Botnst · #3 09-22-2007, 07:34 PM

My wife's mood ring works. When it's green she's okay. When it leaves a red mark on my head ....

(Thank Larry, the Cable Guy)

davidmash · #4 09-22-2007, 08:26 PM

Never cared for silver.

I like the dark gray on my 16v. I like yellow on certain cars. Then I go for the battle ship grays on certain cars, or dark blue. Oh hell, I like all colors but certain cars look good in certain colors. Still don't care for silver though.

Larry Delor · #5 09-22-2007, 09:41 PM

Color was never really much of a priority, when purchasing a car. As long as it wasn't too repulsive, I went for it.

Ara T. · #6 09-22-2007, 10:11 PM

I hate silver, such a boring color.

LUVMBDiesels · #7 09-22-2007, 10:20 PM

The BMW is silver and I just don't like the color. It fades very quickly and just does not hold up well. As for new cars, When my mother and I were shopping for her CR-V they had silver, black, and a deep maroon on the lot. The silver looked thin to me even though it was a metallic paint. The maroon was a deep rich pearl and lust looked thick, deep and gave the Honda class (for a Honda).
I hope trends change and we see more rich colors out there. Silver, black ,and those horrible earth tones are so boring.

Hatterasguy · #8 09-22-2007, 10:22 PM

I love the way black and blue cars look. But I'd love a silver car next, because its so easy to keep looking good!

waybomb · #9 09-23-2007, 11:40 AM

4 of mine are black / black. When it is time to ditch the 300SD (gray, palomino) and the SEL (smoke silver, maroon), they'll be replaced with black/black cars too. Nothing better than a clean streak free black car.

t walgamuth · #10 09-23-2007, 12:06 PM

There are a lot of colors that I like but would not buy, like black or certain purples. Some are too hard to keep clean looking, some are just too exuberant for my personality.

My favorite I think is the old Mercedes color, Maple Yellow. Pleasing, not too common and not too exuberant.

Tom W

iwrock · #11 09-23-2007, 01:35 PM

Two of my cars are 040 Black with Black interior.

My personal car is Diamond Blue. Looks good in any light, and hides dirt pretty well.

TheDon · #12 09-23-2007, 02:15 PM

Anthacrite Grey .... meh..

I'd rather have black on black.. even in FL

LUVMBDiesels · #13 09-23-2007, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

Anthacrite Grey .... meh..

I'd rather have black on black.. even in FL

Ouch! My Suburban is black/gray and I would never do that again. The interior gets so hot even with the windows cracked open that the AC cannot cool the truck down and that is with the rear AC on too.

My '96 Impala SS was also black/gray and it was almost impossible to cool down.

Come to think about it, the 300SD is black/gray too. I guess I do like black cars!

Of course nobody expects the AC in the 300SD to be able to cool it down

My favorites for domestic cars are deep blue or red. For MB's I have to go with the Maple Yellow That is a great color on a W123. I guess for the 126 black or dark gray is most appealing to me.

It really depends on the car model and the look of the body.