In 2017, white was the No. 1 choice of color for vehicle buyers around the world, according to the Global Automotive 2017 Color Popularity Report by Axalta Coating Systems.
Globally, 39 percent of the vehicles produced were white – 26 percent were solid white, while 13 percent were pearl white, according to the report.
Black ranked No. 2 at 16 percent, and gray and silver tied to rank No. 3 (for the second consecutive year) at 11 percent.
They really love white in China, where 62 percent of the vehicles produced were solid or pearl white. In North America, 27 percent of the vehicles were white, and 20 percent were black.
Axalta’s 2017 Color Popularity report also found:
- Worldwide – Building on white’s No. 1 position, a trend has developed of pearl colors sparkling on luxury vehicles. White pearl hues increased 4 percent in 2017.
- Africa – Up three percentage points, gray enters double digits at 11 percent.
- Asia – White dominates and is the choice on 52 percent of vehicles sold in the region. China has the highest usage of white anywhere at 62 percent. Japan uses more pearlescent white hues at 28 percent.
- Europe – At 20 percent, gray is more popular in Europe than in any other region.
- North America – Blue is gaining popularity, especially in the compact/sport segment where it rose six percentage points to total 16 percent.
- Russia – The top color, white, increased from 28 percent to 32 percent, while silver also is up three percentage points.
- South America – Gray is the rising star in South America, moving from 8 percent to 11 percent.
“With its modern appeal, white continues to be the top seller worldwide,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta global color marketing manager. “Pearlescent whites gained 4 percent in popularity this year, as this multi-coat color is used on all segments and has the highest usage in Japan. Overall, light and bright colors continue to gain strength, as light gray and light to medium shades of blue have increased interest in the market.”
Published annually since 1953, Axalta’s report is the automotive industry’s longest-running and most comprehensive color account, according to the company.
“Automotive color evolves over time,” said Elke Dirks, Axalta automotive oem color designer, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Recently, blue has been trending in various versions from highly chromatic shades to light metallic colors, and gray has been on the rise as the next competing neutral.”
For more information on Axalta’s Global Automotive 2017 Color Popularity Report, please visit axaltacs.com/color.
