Silver is Still Tops According to PPG

The color silver has topped the automotive color charts once again this year, maintaining its supremacy as the most popular car color in North America.
But in the future it will take on a fresh appearance as blues, browns and greens start to surge and become infused with silver to create a new look, according to the 2006 color popularity survey results released today by PPG Industries.
Silver surpassed all colors among North American vehicles produced in the 2006 model year with 24 percent, down 2 percent from last year.
Silver also remained the leading color for 2006 in all North American vehicle segments, with the highest share (29 percent) in the luxury category.
“Silver remains number one, but it’s evolving beyond the old parameters,” said Jane E. Harrington, manager, color styling, automotive coatings for PPG.
“We’re going to see more graphite hues and silver will shift to become a more complex color with subtle undertone tints of brown, blue, green and gold.
“Silver is going to remain popular. It’s a preferred hue because it defines character lines and features on the exterior of a vehicle better than a darker color,” Harrington said.
“But blue is going to start grabbing some of silver’s market share. Both pure tones and light values of blue are going to be strong, emerging color trends within the next few years.”
Additional research conducted by PPG reveals that for the 2006 model year in North America, white was the second most popular color at 16 percent, holding steady from last year.
Black and red tied for third at 13 percent each, followed by blue at 12 percent.
Naturals, which include light metallic beige, copper, orange and brown, also came in at 12 percent.
Green captured 7 percent and niche and specialty colors accounted for 3 percent.
The PPG Global Design and Color Marketing Team — which consists of colorists in North America, South America, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, India and Australia — developed 110 new concept colors for consideration by automotive designers for the 2009-2010 model years.
The colors were recently unveiled to automakers as part of PPG’s annual color show.
“In addition to blue, the natural color family is going to be an area of growth for the automotive market,” Harrington said.
“This new trend is based on the consumer’s desire for handcrafted-looking products that are authentic and exclusive.”
Harrington said she believes brighter colors are working their way back after years of silver, black and white dominating the popularity charts.
“Color is one of the first things someone notices about a vehicle. It redefines the shape and styling of a car and brings it to life,” she said.
“We see color inching back into the mainstream. Hues are being reinvented as they’re influenced by new shades, new coating technologies and special effects.”