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America's top 10 car colors

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#1 of 35 America's top 10 car colors by andys120

Jan 20, 2009 (3:54 pm)

The LA Times reports that white is king again according to DuPont Automotive Systems.

#2 of 35 Here's a link to the.... by andys120

Jan 20, 2009 (3:55 pm)

LA Times Article.
 
1) Boring old White is back on top for the second year following 7years of dominance by silver. DuPont tells the LAT that this is perhaps transitional leading to the emergence of more dramatic colors like blues and greens.
 
I don't get this because IMO the standard Alpine White tends to make all cars look rather appliance-like, even those cars that have sleek, aggressive lines. I notice that more subtle whites with a hint of cream, yellow or beige are starting to show up on cars.
 
2) Black is tied with Silver for second, surprising to me considering how hard it is to keep clean. However unlike White Black will make almost any car look great (if it is reasonably clean)
 
2) Silver tied w Black is especially easy to care for and keep clean. I'm afraid it has become a bit too commonplace. Some makers offer several shades of silver on the same model.
 
3) Blue is the up and comer with many cars offering neon blues and more subtle shades and lighter blues are becoming popular for the first time in many years.
 
4) Gray was huge during the 1980s and has never gone away. Lots of subtle shades possible w this color such as blue-gray and gray-green.
 
5) Red, never wildly popular but always a choice for those favoring expressive colors. Dark Reds make luxury sedans look richer while lighter reds work wonders for small economy sedans.
 
6) Beige/Brown in metallic shades was very popular in the 1960s-70s, but hasn't been very popular since. In my experience a light metallic Beige/Tan is perhaps the color that least shows dirt of various kinds.
 
7) Green, another 60s fave that has not been much in evidence since, although I do notice some olive greens getting popular.
 
8) Yellow/Gold Loud yellows predominate now but in the 50s and 60s pale Yellows were quite common and worked well on some cars.
 
9) Others include Purple, Pink and Orange. If you want to stand out get one of these.
 
  

#3 of 35 Re: Here's a link to the.... [andys120] by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Jan 20, 2009 (9:07 pm)

Replying to: andys120 (Jan 20, 2009 3:55 pm)
Not much choice on the surface but then when you start looking at all the shades of silver or even white, you'll find a lot of variety. Some of the silvers look steely gray, so there's some overlap.
 
Black cars always just look black to me (usually they just look like they need to be washed ).

#4 of 35 Re: Here's a link to the.... [steve_] by davethecarnut

Jan 20, 2009 (11:16 pm)

Replying to: Stever@Edmunds (Jan 20, 2009 9:07 pm)
Silver and grey.....zzzzzzzzzz
Primer has more flavor.

#5 of 35 Re: Here's a link to the.... [andys120] by guss

Jan 21, 2009 (5:01 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Jan 20, 2009 3:55 pm)
I always thought of silver and gray as the same color. I did not know they were two separate colors.
 
I thought green was the most popular color before silver became # 1. We had a green 1999 Gran Prix and I remember it being #1 in 1998 or so. I wanted black buy my wife picked green because it was her favorite color.

#6 of 35 I always thought of silver... by andre1969

Jan 21, 2009 (8:43 am)

as a luxury car color. Once it started ending up on everything under the sun, it sort of lost its appeal. I guess I'm partly guilty though, since my 2000 Intrepid is silver!

#7 of 35 Silver did start out as a luxury car color.... by andys120

Jan 21, 2009 (9:13 am)

since metallic colors are more difficult and expensive to produce and cost extra. Silver did not come into widespread use until the 1970s (IIRC).
 
Silver has long been prominent on the upscale German makes, being a signature color for Porsches and prominent in the racing history of Mercedes and Audi (Auto-Union).

#8 of 35 Re: Silver did start out as a luxury car color.... [andys120] by berri

Jan 21, 2009 (9:31 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Jan 21, 2009 9:13 am)
Silver and gold shades are both popular because they are neutral and don't show dirt. White is popular because of fleet sales.

#9 of 35 Re: Silver did start out as a luxury car color.... [berri] by andys120

Jan 21, 2009 (9:38 am)

Replying to: berri (Jan 21, 2009 9:31 am)
I don't see any particular popularity for gold nowadays although gold-tones are starting to creep into the multi-hued pearlescent layered schemes that are optional extras on some cars.
 
I'm sure fleet sales play some minor role in color popularity but I would suggest that the growth of population in the Sunbelt plays a larger role in the popularity of white
White cars and trucks seem to be everywhere in places like AZ and FL but not so much in say NY or New England.

#10 of 35 Re: Silver did start out as a luxury car color.... [andys120] by lokki

Jan 21, 2009 (10:08 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Jan 21, 2009 9:38 am)
"White cars and trucks seem to be everywhere in places like AZ and FL but not so much in say NY or New England. "
 
Theoretically, car color is more important to comfort in the South, and particularly in the South West, since it has such a large impact on how hot the car gets.
 
http://enerjazz.com/data/cartempsurf/
 
However, another article pointed out that even white gets so darn hot, it doesn't really matter how much hotter a dark color gets. You're still getting into an oven.

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