More Colors To Come on Vehicles

[nsap]

TROY- Are automotive fashionistas finally ready to embrace color?

In a few years, cars and trucks might roll out in such vivid shades as light turquoise, according to paint color forecasters at Troy-based PPG Automotive Coatings, a unit of PPG Industries Inc. in Pittsburgh.

Paint suppliers are eagerly awaiting the day when silver gets toppled from its throne as the favorite vehicle shade in America and most of the rest of the world. And from what paint designers have seen happening in fashion and home furnishings, they believe that day may be coming.

"Color can lift us," said Lorene Boettcher, manager of global design and color marketing at PPG's Troy-based design studio. "We feel there's more optimism about the future."

Boettcher has been on the road with PPG's annual color trends show, which made the rounds last week among auto designers and executives in Detroit, after a similar tour in Europe and before moving on to the West Coast and Asia..

None of the exact colors PPG is showing is likely to end up directly on a car, but the show is meant to give designers a taste of the "palette" of colors the company's specialists see emerging, and also demonstrate paint technology that PPG is ready to bring to the table.

"They're suggesting color spaces that they think we might be interested in," said Margaret Hackstedde, director of color and trim design for DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group in Auburn Hills.

William Michael, PPG's director of global color technology, said the shows often earn the supplier a chance to display a new color on a concept vehicle for an auto show.

"Some of our greatest accomplishments are being able to create colors for these new vehicles that eventually will filter down into production," he said.

A concept vehicle often can start a color trend, Boettcher said.

"For instance, candy-apple red began as a concept, and is now mainstream," she said. "You can get these really bright reds today that you couldn't get 10 years ago."

Asian and European markets are quicker to change paint colors, and more daring in the color choices they make, Boettcher said.

In North America, however, where automotive hues tend to be conservative and slow to follow trends, the day of vibrant colors may be quite some time in coming.

For the fourth consecutive year, silver and silver-grey remained the top color choices for cars in North America and everywhere else in the world except Australia, where white still leads, according to PPG's annual survey of color popularity.

The study found that 27 percent of 2004 model year North American cars emerged from the factory dressed in some form of silver/grey paint, with white and red tied for the next popular at 14 percent of vehicles.

Black, blue and "natural" colors, such as gold, followed close behind, adorning 13 percent, 12 percent and 11 percent of cars and trucks in North America.

Silver's dominance was also confirmed by BASF Corp.'s annual color survey data, released in mid-October.

BASF's auto coatings operation is headquartered in Southfield.

Chrysler's Hackstedde predicts silver and neutral colors will remain very popular for the foreseeable future.

The automaker is looking at silvery finishes with a faint tint of color.

"Satin Jade," which adds a faint green tint to silver, and "Butane Blue," a very silvery blue, are available on the Chrysler 300C sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon.

http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosins...c08-322385.htm

[Buick61]

They offered colors in the '50s like it was going out of style. Then it did, I guess. It's depressing to walk into your Chevy dealership (or Ford or Toyota or Dodge) and pick out which shade of grey or silver you want. Blah. What ever happened to Tropical Turquoise or Toreador Red?

[BigAls87Z28]

I guess SOM doesnt fit into the "shade of grey" catagory.
It seems if you change up from the usual basic silver, that no one wants it. Have you looked around at the local car population? Siiiiiiillllllllllllllllvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrrrr r. Thats what sells. Why? Dont know.

As for new colors....they can keep MANgenta, ill stick to my precision red.

[bksavs]

COME ON!!!!!!! I love silver, I have all my life. I go to dealers all the time and it is far from all grey and silver. Look at any brochure, atleast ten colors and one will be a light silver another a dark silver.. You normally get 2 shades of red, a blue or two, green, white, an orange, and a yellow for some ungodly reason. I've seen 2 silver trucks on dealer lots, white is the color here. This is a load of rubish. The color choices have been there. What was purple ten years ago is atomic fuscia now. Can you say MARKETING HYPE!!!!!

[goblue]

What do people think of the trend of charging extra for certain colors, like the blue on the nox?

[dawtcalm]

When will two-tone come? Depending on the car and placement of the colorS two-tone would look great on some cars!

[2000 GTP]

Don't forget all the colors from the muscle car era. All those Mopars and Chevelles and Camaro's. Now those colours had some excitement,

And not many came in silver!

[Ming]

I've always liked golden brown and avocado green:

[zeobandit]

Black is the only color I need.

[SUPERBADD75]

conservative sells. nobody wants to buy a car in some trendy color that will look like crap in 5 years when the car is paid for. i will say, however, that i like colors too. this is a great one. it may not look good in a few years, but it's pretty cool right now.....

SAAB LIME YELLOW

[ponchoman49]

I think manufacturers need to start paying more attention to interior colors rather than exterior ones. Other than a few rare examples the only interior color choices have been pared down to just 3 and in some cases 2 choices. Charcoal, gray and tan. Some cars only have Charcoal and tan and some use only tan and gray. Since the "inside" of the vehicle is where people spend most of there time isn't it about time to add some more flavors to the lackluster interiors of late. How about blue or burgandy? White would be neet in a convertible. I find the sea of gray utterly depressing in my Impala and sorely wish I could have found one with blue. But 98% of the onesi have seen are gray and tan. The GTO and Mustang have those spicey red seats which are neat. Come on car manufacturers give us some more interior colors in addition to those exterior choices!

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by SUPERBADD75

nobody wants to buy a car in some trendy color that will look like crap in 5 years when the car is paid for.

Very true. Some cars look great in yellow (like the old Audi A4), but I don't think I would never buy a yellow car, because I know I'd be sick of it shortly. I'm all for some more impressive colours, though I can do without teal and pink and other wimpy pastel colours. I like many of the new orange and copper colours... the Spirit might get a paint job in the spring!

A while back someone (mighta been Buick61) showed a bunch of pictures of old cars with really impressive interiors. You're right ponchoman... the interiors need more attention right now. Shades of grey are fine, but VW and Audi have some really nice dark brown leather. The Cobalt SS inserts are an interesting idea, and while I don't really like them, they're a start. If nothing else I like when a car with a dark grey interior has light grey upper panels (A, B & C pillar covers & roofliner)... it makes the car seem less confined.

[vanshmack]

Anyone remember the late '80's turquoise Mustang LX's? They're a total cliche now.

[mrfunji]

Silver is so popular because:
1) It hides dirt and road grime very well
2) It hides scratches, rock chips and dings very well.
I've had so many little paint chips from rocks hitting me on the highway. It's so noticeable on my "Victory Red" Grand Am that a bottle of touchup paint is required. After a snow storm , if I drive a mile the sides of my car are turn white from the salt. And then there are the chrome rims...

Silver will keep it's throne until they (whoever they is) make a color that can do points 1 and 2 as well as silver.

And don't forget about the "Mangenta" found on the Torana!

[surferdude00711]

i wish they made white interiors. white leather is sooo nice. i also wish ppl werent so frikcin conservative with their colors. i wish there were more bright colors bought