Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7 Forum - View Single Post - Silver stays top color for vehicles; red, orange rise

*KILLER74Z28* · 11-30-2006, 03:04 PM

Silver stays top color for vehicles; red, orange rise

November 30, 2006

BY JASON ROBERSON
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Across the world, silver was selected as the most popular color for vehicles for the seventh consecutive year.

But brighter colors like red and orange posted significant growth, according to DuPont Automotive's 2006 Color Popularity Report.

Silver pushed green aside in 2000 as the No. 1 color on automakers' palette and it has maintained top billing longer than any color during the 54 years DuPont has been tracking automotive color preferences.

"I purchased a silver car because along with white it looks the best with blackwalls," said Edward Gorzalski, a Free Press reader. "If whitewalls ever regain their former popularity, the likelihood is that silver will decline in popularity -- just one man's opinion."

DuPont says in the future there will be a trend toward infusing neutral colors like shades of gray with greens, reds and purples, which provides customers a broader option of choices.

The DuPont Global Color Popularity Report includes segmentation by world regions as well as by vehicle type. This year, the report is segmented further to highlight variations within the Asian markets.

"We are seeing a growing convergence in color preference globally," said Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager for DuPont Automotive Systems. "But while the world is becoming flatter and tastes are harmonizing globally, we think that it is also important to look deeply at the cultural and taste differences in large and growing markets, such as Asia."

Japan's color choices remain consistent with last year's overall Asian results where neutrals were dominant, with silver at 27%; white or pearl, 24%; black, 16% and gray, 12%.

A clear trend for the future includes warmer tones such as red as well as the continued strength of blue. Blue and red have strengthened their positions as popular vehicle colors in North America each with 11% share, and in China with 17% share for blue and 9% share for red. Blue remains a top choice in Europe with a 13% share overall and a top three color choice in the compact-sport segment with a 15% share.

According to the Socionomics Institute in Gainesville, Ga., color trends provide insight into the larger public mood in North America.

"The popularity of silver has correlated with the optimism that attended the twin financial manias of the past nine years, the stock market boom surrounding the year 2000 and the housing boom since then," said Mark Galasiewski, a senior analyst at the institute, in a statement released by DuPont. "The spread of silver's popularity worldwide since 1998 has also mirrored the synchronization of global equity markets."

The coming period could be remarkably similar to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when white, a color that had championed a long economic expansion, suddenly faced challengers

11-30-2006, 03:04 PM	#1
KILLER74Z28 MOD SQUAD Drives: 2G1FT1EW9A9100666 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: West Michigan Posts: 5,782 View My Garage	Silver stays top color for vehicles; red, orange rise Silver stays top color for vehicles; red, orange rise November 30, 2006 BY JASON ROBERSON FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER Across the world, silver was selected as the most popular color for vehicles for the seventh consecutive year. But brighter colors like red and orange posted significant growth, according to DuPont Automotive's 2006 Color Popularity Report. Silver pushed green aside in 2000 as the No. 1 color on automakers' palette and it has maintained top billing longer than any color during the 54 years DuPont has been tracking automotive color preferences. "I purchased a silver car because along with white it looks the best with blackwalls," said Edward Gorzalski, a Free Press reader. "If whitewalls ever regain their former popularity, the likelihood is that silver will decline in popularity -- just one man's opinion." DuPont says in the future there will be a trend toward infusing neutral colors like shades of gray with greens, reds and purples, which provides customers a broader option of choices. The DuPont Global Color Popularity Report includes segmentation by world regions as well as by vehicle type. This year, the report is segmented further to highlight variations within the Asian markets. "We are seeing a growing convergence in color preference globally," said Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager for DuPont Automotive Systems. "But while the world is becoming flatter and tastes are harmonizing globally, we think that it is also important to look deeply at the cultural and taste differences in large and growing markets, such as Asia." Japan's color choices remain consistent with last year's overall Asian results where neutrals were dominant, with silver at 27%; white or pearl, 24%; black, 16% and gray, 12%. A clear trend for the future includes warmer tones such as red as well as the continued strength of blue. Blue and red have strengthened their positions as popular vehicle colors in North America each with 11% share, and in China with 17% share for blue and 9% share for red. Blue remains a top choice in Europe with a 13% share overall and a top three color choice in the compact-sport segment with a 15% share. According to the Socionomics Institute in Gainesville, Ga., color trends provide insight into the larger public mood in North America. "The popularity of silver has correlated with the optimism that attended the twin financial manias of the past nine years, the stock market boom surrounding the year 2000 and the housing boom since then," said Mark Galasiewski, a senior analyst at the institute, in a statement released by DuPont. "The spread of silver's popularity worldwide since 1998 has also mirrored the synchronization of global equity markets." The coming period could be remarkably similar to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when white, a color that had championed a long economic expansion, suddenly faced challengers