Dec. 6, 2012—For the second consecutive year, white and white pearl rank as the most popular automotive color worldwide, according to the 2012 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report released Thursday.
“Today, white tri-coats are more readily applicable to the global manufacturing base and evoke quality and value among a variety of vehicle segments,” said Nancy Lockhart, color marketing manager for DuPont. “Solid whites have been seen in vanilla shades, stone shades and the current preference of bright whites.”
In North America, white and white pearl vehicles control 24 percent of the market. The color ranks as most popular in North America for the sixth consecutive year.
DuPont’s Color Popularity Report, which includes automotive color rankings from 11 leading automotive regions worldwide, states that black ranks as the second most popular color—mainly due to its increased perception of being “high quality and luxury.” Silver ranks as the third most popular color globally.
“Silver peaked during the start of the digital age between 2000 and 2006,” said Lockhart. “We’re seeing more luxury vehicle purchases now that the economy has started to stabilize, and vehicles painted black/black effect are seen as luxury status symbols in several key global markets.”
The following automotive colors comprise the 10 most popular worldwide:
1. White/White Pearl: 23 percent
of vehicles
2. Black/Black Effect: 21 percent
of vehicles
3. Silver: 18 percent
of vehicles
4. Gray: 14 percent
of vehicles
5. Red: 8 percent
of vehicles
6. Blue: 6 percent
of vehicles
7. Brown/Beige: 6 percent
of vehicles
8. Green: 1 percent
of vehicles
9. Yellow/Gold: 1 percent
of vehicles
10. Other: 2 percent of vehicles
The top four preferences—white, black, silver and gray—have represented the majority of popularity for the past 10 years, according to the report. The colors of red, blue, brown, yellow and green are widely noticed on the road, but do not make up the majority of consumer preferences.
