The more neutral the color, especially silver or gray tones, the easier to keep the vehicle looking clean, simply because they show less dirt, dust, grime, water spots, and other road grime that vehicles collect while driving. These modest colors also don’t show scratch- es, chips, and other paint damage as readily as brighter colors do. So unless you love detailing your vehicle all the time it makes sense that todays busy auto buyers would want a color on their ride that requires less work to make it look nice and presentable. The only exception to this rule is black vehicles. Black can make a car look sinister, stealthy, and super posh, but they are also the worst for showing dust, scratches, and swirl marks, trust me I own a black car and on almost a daily basis I ask myself what I was thinking when I purchased it, but in my defense it did look amazing under the lights all polished up in the showroom. So far, neutral colors are still the most popular paint options for new cars in 2020. However, if you’re looking for your ride to stand out with a vivid vehicle paint option, then you’ll be pleased to know that hues like green, blue, and red are rapidly gaining popularity along with some very daring neon shades for a trip on the wild side. Some man- ufacturers are also offering more two-toned roof options to add some visual vivacity to otherwise modest-looking vehicles. Regardless of the color, and the subtle changes made by each automaker, both customers, and automakers are often extremely specific about what kind of color they are looking for and what they offer for each model. Consid- ering it is the first thing a buyer notices and what gets the buyer behind the wheel and hopefully out of the dealership and onto the road in their new vehicle.
COLOR CODING CARS THERE IS A LOT MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE
by Calli Gregg T he increasing demand for SUV’s and crossover cars has auto makers focus on making these larger vehicles as aerody- namic as possible to improve fuel mileage and an ever-growing list of essential safety features and technology. But did you know that 80 percent of the vehicles on the road around the world are painted in just a few colors. All of them are what people in the coatings industry call “achromatic” which means these colors that are not that colorful: white, black, gray, and silver. According to data compiled in 2019 by coatings company BASF, 39 percent of these vehicle on the road are white, with black, gray, and silver making up another 39 percent of vehicle colors on the road today.
However, in saying the color white, it is not merely white anymore, neither are black, gray, or silver vehicles for that matter. Coatings can be tweaked by auto makers in all sorts of ways by adding effects, like metal flake or bits of glass or mica. Color shades can also be tweaked adding a slight bluish tint to white evokes a futuristic look, while a slightly yellower white conveys luxury with a pearl like finish to the vehicle. The most popular chromatic vehicle color is blue, at 9 percent with just 7 percent of vehicles painted red. The least popular car colors for 2019 were gold at 0.3%, followed by yellow at 0.2%, and ending with purple at 0.1%. However, if you observe the vehicles around you during your daily commute or when running errands, then these results should not come as a huge surprise.
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SEPTEMBER 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020
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