2003 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report Shows Gray Gaining as New Color Options Emerge
TROY, Mich., Dec. 8, 2003 -- Silver is still the world's leading vehicle color, but in North America, rich shades of medium-dark metallic gray increased significantly in popularity while red and other high-chroma colors hint at major changes to come in the automotive color palette.
The findings are part of the newly released 2003 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report, the industry's authoritative baseline for analyzing and predicting vehicle color trends for more than 50 years. To provide more in- depth information, the report now includes European color trends broken down by vehicle segment.
In the North American luxury segment, which often indicates future trends across all vehicle segments, medium-dark gray jumped from sixth place to the lead color choice and red surpassed blue in the popularity standings. Gray jumped from sixth to third place in the sport/compact segment and has climbed four places to also become the third most popular color in the full- size/intermediate segment.
"Medium-dark grays, enhanced with coarser metallic effects, retain the technical sophistication of silver while providing a sense of richness and value to differentiate new vehicle models from the mainstream," said Robert Daily, DuPont Automotive color marketing manager.
Overall, medium-dark gray spread across North America in 2003, increasing nearly 4.5 percentage points. Although silver remains the top vehicle color of choice at 20.2 percent, it slipped slightly in North America overall standings. Silver is trailed by white at 18.4 percent, which is up from 15.2 percent in 2002. Black, at nearly 12 percent remained the third most popular choice among vehicle consumers. Light brown is revitalized with soft metallic effects, increasing from 6.4 percent last year to nearly 9 percent in 2003, moving up two places to the fifth spot.
More 2003 DuPont Automotive Color Trends
* Reds have been refined and updated with slightly cooler, bluish hues or made more brilliant with tinted clearcoats to remain extremely popular with consumers.
* Medium-dark green, the former color leader of the 1990s, has dropped out of the top 10 colors for luxury vehicles, but still made moderate gains in the full/intermediate and the SUV/truck/van vehicle segments.
* White pearl tri-coats, enabled by DuPont coating technology, offer distinctive fine or coarse sparkle effects for higher-end vehicles. This technology also complements warmer or cooler tinted silvers and tinted clearcoats for reds to provide colors that appear deeper, richer and more luxurious.
* Black rounds out the leading three overall color choices of white and first place silver. The most dramatic of neutrals, black, lends an air of mystery to a growing number of luxury vehicles.
* More expressive colors such as bright blues, reds and even yellows indicate an increased sense of adventure among consumers and automotive stylists. In fact, yellow has emerged as a top-10 color in the sport/compact segment.
"Neutrals such as silver, white and black will always be major parts of the automotive color palette, but we can expect to see a wider range of color options in the near future," said Daily. "Newer models, such as the SUV/passenger car crossovers with their sculpted designs, can effectively use new treatments for neutrals or explore a range of high-chroma colors to create a stronger vehicle identity."
Coatings Technology Enables Fresh Styling and Color Options
Daily also observed that two-tone color schemes can enhance the styling and broad vertical surfaces of many newly launched crossovers, trucks and SUVs. An award-winning "one-pass" system developed by DuPont allows auto manufacturers to more effectively paint two-tone vehicles different colors in one time-saving step. DuPont(TM) SupraShield(TM) clearcoats are keeping colors vibrant longer because they provide 60 percent greater scratch and mar resistance for a vehicle finish. DuPont also offers this level of scratch and mar performance in super high solids technology that delivers significant environmental benefits and has been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency for reducing assembly plant paint line emissions.
DuPont is the world leader in topcoat technology, which includes an extensive portfolio of color and protective coatings. In the United States, DuPont coatings are featured on 8 of the top-10 selling vehicles.
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
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2003 DUPONT AUTOMOTIVE
COLOR POPULARITY SURVEY RESULTS
Numbers reflect percentage of vehicles manufactured during the 2003 model
year in North America
Luxury Full/Intermediate
2003 2002 2003 2002
1. Med./Dk. Gray 23.3 7.2 1. Silver 27.9 28.1
2. Silver 18.8 32.1 2. Lt. Brown 17.4 11.6
3. White Met. 17.8 17.7 3. Med./Dk. Gray 13.8 6.2
4. White 12.6 11.8 4. White 13.5 11.8
5. Black 10.9 8.5 5. Black 10.2 11.2
6. Med. Red 3.9 6.0 6. Med. Red 7.4 7.6
7. Med./Dk. Blue 3.8 8.6 7. Med./Dk. Green 7.1 5.3
8. Gold 3.6 3.0 8. Med./Dk. Blue 6.1 9.5
9. Lt. Blue 3.1 - 9. Brt. Red 2.2 -
10. Lt. Brown .9 1.7 10. Gold 1.7 3.4
Sport/Compact SUV/Truck/Van
2003 2002 2003 2002
1. Silver 20.1 24.6 1. White 22.3 19.3
2. Black 13.6 14.3 2. Silver 17.0 18.0
3. Med./Dk. Gray 11.9 6.7 3. Black 11.6 12.4
4. Med./Dk. Blue 11.1 12.9 4. Med./Dk. Blue 9.3 11.4
5. Med. Red 9.2 5.5 5. Med./Dk. Gray 8.8 7.5
6. White 9.0 8.8 6. Med./Dk. Green 7.0 6.7
7. Lt. Brown 8.1 4.3 7. Lt. Brown 6.3 5.1
8. Bright Red 6.3 6.9 8. Med. Red 6.2 7.1
9. Bright Blue 3.0 - 9. Bright Red 4.1 4.5
10. Yellow 2.6 - 10. Dk. Red 1.8 -
2003 DUPONT AUTOMOTIVE
INTERNATIONAL COLOR POPULARITY SURVEY RESULTS
Numbers reflect percentage of vehicles manufactured during the 2003 model year in North America, South America, Europe and Asia
North America Europe
2003 2002 2003 2002
1. Silver 20.2 22.8 1. Silver 31.0 -
2. White 18.4 15.2 2. Blue 19.2 25
3. Black 11.6 12 3. Black 14.4 13
4. Med./Dk. Gray 11.5 7 4. Gray 10.6 -
5. Lt. Brown 8.8 6.4 5. White 9.7 5
6. Med./Dk. Blue 8.5 10.9 6. Red 6.8 7
7. Med. Red 6.9 6.9 7. Green 5.4 10
8. Med./Dk. Green 5.3 5 8. Gold/Orange 1.0 -
9. Bright Red 3.8 3.3 9. Yellow .8 -
10. Dk. Red .9 -
*Silver and gray were combined in
2002.
*Purple tied for the eighth spot
in 2003 with 1 percent.
South America (Brazil) South America (Venezuela)
2003 2002 2003 2002
1. Silver 33.4 31.8 1. Silver 17.8 16.9
2. White 17 18.1 2. Red 16.5 11.3
3. Gray 16.4 16.7 3. Blue 16.2 14.8
4. Black 10.4 12.2 4. Gray 12.1 13.5
5. Red 8.7 7.3 5. White 11.4 18.3
6. Blue 7.7 7.4 6. Green 10.6 10.3
7. Beige 3.4 1.7 7. Beige 10.5 11.5
8. Green 2.8 4.5 8. Yellow/Gold 4.3 -
9. Yellow .2 .2 9. Black* .3 .7
*Brown tied for the ninth spot in
2003 with .3 percent.
Asia (Japan)
2003 2002
1. Silver 30.9 White: includes Off- -
2. White 27.4 35 White
3. Blue 9.8 Gray: includes Silver 7
4. Black 9.6 8 Metallic
5. Red 5.5 5 Red: includes Pink,
6. Green 4.8 2 Purple and Violet
7. Yellow 3.5 .5 Yellow: includes Beige
8. Brown 3.4 .5
9. Gray 2.8 -
10. Purple .6 -
White: includes Off-White
Gray: includes Silver Metallic
Red: includes Pink, Purple and Violet
Yellow: includes Beige and Gold
Green: includes Bluish Green and Olive
Blue: includes Turquoise
