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Silver and Black Most Popular Car Colors

The Burl Ives’ classic “Silver and Gold” is popular at the holidays, but when it comes to car colors, silver and black are the most popular choices in the world with white a distant third – and gold, ironically, comes in last.

DuPont, which just happens to be in the automotive paint business, issued its 58th Global Automotive Color Popularity Report today, which includes automotive color popularity information and regional trends from 11 leading automotive regions of the world. Each year, the DuPont report reflects data from established and emerging growth markets in the automotive industry; and in 2010, for the first time, includes trends from South Africa.

Only two percentage points separate silver from black as the leading vehicle color globally, and black’s popularity in key automotive markets outside of North America is substantial. White and gray are tied for third place, with gray’s popularity increasing three percentage points from last year’s survey. Red, the only non-neutral color in the top five, is increasing in popularity, taking the fifth spot on the global color popularity rankings.

The top global vehicle colors are as follows:

  1. Silver – 26 percent
  2. Black/Black Effect – 24 percent
  3. White/White Pearl and Gray – 16 percent each (tie)
  4. Red – 6 percent
  5. Blue – 5 percent
  6. Brown/Beige – 3 percent
  7. Green – 2 percent
  8. Yellow/Gold – 1 percent
  9. Others – <1 percent

Just three years ago, silver led all regions in color popularity. With the shift toward more globalization in the automotive industry, regional preferences are influencing the global trend. With trends of silver, black and white – all neutrals – vying for the top three spots among most regions, gray has increased in popularity and is gaining in interest among consumers in many regions.

The DuPont color report says both silver and black/black effect saw a 1 percent gain in global popularity in the 2010 report, with white remaining flat over last year. Gray increased in popularity by three percentage points. While regional preferences remain for red and blue, both have fallen three percentage points this year over last. DuPont analysts continue to see a trend toward brown and beige increasing in popularity as well.

Automotive News