Car Color Palette Warms
2024 saw shift in consumer preferences toward individuality, desire for stability.
Green is one of the less-traditional colors that are gaining traction among consumers seeking individuality.
Ford
When it comes to car colors, consumer preferences are becoming less white-and-black.
A report by pigment producer BASF Coatings indicates many drivers are gravitating to less traditional hues and buying fewer black, white and silver vehicles, though white is still the most popular choice.
Worldwide, more consumers are buying cars in brighter colors or warm neutrals, the company said in its Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings.
Warm yellows and beiges, along with greens, are more common on today’s roads, for instance, along with grays. In fact, gray tones make up nearly 20% of the U.S. market share, according to the report.
In the meantime, black fell two percentage points last year while white fell five percentage points.
“Gray is redefining automotive style, gaining popularity for its versatile sophistication as preferences shift away from traditional white and black,” said Senior Design Manager Victoria Fislage in a press release on the report.
In the Europe-Middle East-Africa region, or EMEA, gray is second only to white, though beige nearly doubled in popularity last year.
“Beige and neutral colors evoke a sense of calm and sophistication, reflecting the desire for stability in a fast-paced world,” said BASF Global Head of Automotive Color Design Mark Gutjahr.
The Asia-Pacific region was an outlier where black gained two percentage points as white fell at the same rate. Yellow, though, is gaining steam, especially soft tones.
“Earthy and pastel yellows capture today’s values – functionality, sustainability, and coexistence with nature,” said BASF Head of Automotive Color Design for Asia Pacific Chiharu Matsuhara.
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