Silver was again the most popular car colour in North America this year but 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 latest survey by transportation coatings maker PPG Industries.
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Silver surpassed all colours among North American vehicles produced in the 2006 model year with 24%, down 2% from last year. Silver also remained the leading colour for 2006 in all North American vehicle segments, with the highest share (29%) in the luxury category.
“Silver remains number one, but it’s evolving beyond the old parameters,” said Jane Harrington, manager, colour styling, automotive coatings for PPG. “We’re going to see more graphite hues and silver will shift to become a more complex colour 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 colour,” 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 colour trends within the next few years.”
PPG said white was second most popular at 16%, holding steady from last year. Black and red tied for third at 13% each, followed by blue at 12%. Naturals, which include light metallic beige, copper, orange and brown, also came in at 12%. Green captured 7% and niche and specialty colours accounted for 3%.
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By GlobalDataPPG has developed 110 new concept colours for consideration by automotive designers for the 2009-2010 model years.
“In addition to blue, the natural colour 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 colours are working their way back after years of silver, black and white dominating the popularity charts.
“Colour 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 colour inching back into the mainstream. Hues are being reinvented as they’re influenced by new shades, new coating technologies and special effects.”
PPG has developed a tri-coat process, where a layer of clearcoat is applied over a pigmented layer of mid-coat and a solid or metallic base coat. It is developing a more colourful mid-coat layer which it hopes will open up a whole new technology palette to designers.
