PPG has released their annual Automotive Color Report, which found that white was the most popular automotive color globally.
Applied to 35% of vehicles last year, white is a traditional color that is widely viewed as a ‘safe’ choice. It was followed by black, which was found on 18% of vehicles built in 2021. Rounding out the top five spots were gray (14%), silver (11%), and blue (8%).
While the most popular colors were relatively dull, PPG noted there is “rising popularity of grays, blues, greens and violets, with vibrant new colors more likely to debut on sporty models rather than SUVs and pickups.”
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In North America, things are a little different as silver / gray is the most popular color choice by far. Those two colors were found on 34% of vehicles built last year, which beat out white (24%), black (18%), blue (12%), and red (7.5%).
Unsurprisingly, color preferences differ by segment and blue was found on 21.5% of compact cars in North America. Red was popular on sports cars, while green was most popular on pickups.
The study also found two-tone paint jobs are increasing in popularity thanks to the rise of personalization. PPG noted two-tone finishes were common in the 1950s and 1960s, but “conventional color development and application processes made them increasingly impractical in mass production environments.” However, thanks to new application technology, the process isn’t as labor-intensive as it used to be and two-tone paint can be found on an assortment of vehicles.
PPG’s Misty Yeomans said, “It’s fitting that two-tones finishes would come back into favor during this time when we as a society are looking to the past. Along with special-order colors, tinted clearcoats, tri-coats and matte finishes, two-tone finishes better reflect vehicle owners’ individual preferences and personalities.”
