Every year, our pals over at BASF’s Automotive Coatings division release their Color Report, and every year I excitedly leer at the graphs and findings, hoping for a revolution of real colors overthrowing the tyranny of the grayscale hordes – but it never actually happens. And, for 2023, it once again didn’t happen, though BASF’s report does suggest that “the traditional automotive color wheel is going through a transformation.” However, this transformation is happening in the dominant achromatic space, so forgive me if I’m not all worked up. Still, it’s interesting, as always, and worth digging into.
I should also mention I seem to have called something one of the nice BASF color-analysts said “psycho-babble” at some point and they’re not letting me forget that, nor should they.
Let’s get started here, with a global overview of car colors. This is how humanity is painting their cars in the current era:
From my perspective, this remains a pretty grim picture. We’re still at a staggering 81% achromatic/grayscale colors, and only 19% actual, real colors, of which 12% are just red and blue. What’s the situation here in North America?
About the same, 80% grayscale. Ugh. Blue and red still dominate the true colors, but orange and yellow don’t even show up, and green is down to 1%, compared to the global 2%.
The big shift that our BASF color-divinators are all worked up about is how white, the globally dominant car color, is slipping, losing ground to the literal Dark Side, black:
“Achromatic colors, which have always formed the foundation of automotive color, are experiencing a significant shift. While white continues to hold its position as the most popular color for light passenger vehicles, it has seen a notable decrease in market share. In contrast, black has surged in popularity, gaining market share at the expense of white.”
So, the huge transformation is that black stole three points from white. Oh boy.
Let’s take a quick look at how things break down in the four regions BASF divides the Earth into (likely for ease of future conquering):
We’ve looked at North America, so let’s go around the rest of the globe and see what’s happening. Asia Pacific is the lone rainbow ray of hope for real color-colors, showing an increase in color diversity, which BASF attributes to “more varied body styles.” That could be, but personally I suspect the wild diversity of the Chinese car market is a big factor here, with so many new brands and models popping up, and a customer base interested in newness and novelty. It’s not unrelated to the BASF justification, really.
In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) the boring achromatics gained two percentage points, but there are some interesting bright spots in Europe, like Italy’s impressive 30% share of chromatic colors; BASF also notes interesting regional preferences:
“When European consumers chose colors, there were country-specific preferences. Germany loves blue (11%), Spain and the UK prefer red and orange (approximately 9%), France adores green (6%), and Italy shows its love for all the colors, with its share of chromatic colors being the largest among all five countries (30%).”
South America is a bit of a disappointment, with 86% achromatic colors. Yawn. It seems like BASF is trying to make this sound more exciting by noting that “effects pigments” are popular, stating:
“Colors aren’t just colors any more. They are experiences,” said Marcos Fernandes, director, BASF Coatings South America. “Whether it’s a pearl or metal flake or other pigment, the effects make the color leap from the vehicle into the eyes of the beholder. It gives a certain flair that’s becoming more and more popular.”
At the risk of pissing off my BASF friends even more, I can’t not note that reading “Colors aren’t just colors any more. They are experiences” in reference to, what, a slightly metal-flaked gray(?), made my eyes roll so far back that I think I puked out a bit of my pupil. Sorry, I appreciate interesting pearlescents and glittery metallics and matte finishes, but in the end that’s still just a lot of cars in boring non-colors.
Perhaps the one bit of chromatic good news here is the surprise Verdant Tsunami, the doubling of the percentage of green cars globally, from 1% to a staggering 2%. This is an encouraging sign, as green cars are fantastic. I shared this excellent news with my lovely wife, Sally, and she was so moved that she asked if she could write a little something about it.
I said sure! Sally likes cars but isn’t quite the hopeless car geek many of us are, so I like getting this more rational-human perspective. Plus, she’s a very talented designer, which I think gives her good insight into colors generally. And she even made this great graphic to head her section!
First off, full honesty, as a person who’s only ever owned used cars, I’ve never owned a green car. Reading about their lack of popularity over the years (only 2.15% of cars are green according to CarMax), I feel partly responsible. As a teenager, my dream was to own a green VW Beetle or a 1994 convertible Chrysler Lebaron. I never owned either by the way – my first car was a 1980 Silver Honda Accord and I loved it like a brother, but what I would have given for a green Honda Accord! My dreams would have partially come true.
I’ve settled over the years for the silver, white, and occasionally blue cars that seem to cloud the freeways and parking lots with their monotoned predictability. Where was the creativity, where are my people, where are the green cars?
One auto maker that has consistently produced cars in beautiful shades of green is Lexus. Now, while they aren’t my favorite cars – sorry to the Lex-Heads out there – I can’t deny the brand’s color choices and quality of paint are definitely some of the best I’ve ever seen. Damn, even the white that Lexus uses is undeniably beautiful, with its pearlescent flecks of gold and pink that seem to sparkle like a glass of champagne!
When Lexus’s color mavens does a green, they do it with heart, in what seems to be a silent but undeniable nod to the enthusiasts that cut and crop pictures of Lexus Nori Green LC 500s to mount on their vision boards.
When I saw the BASF Color Report this morning, one of my first thoughts was, “where is green on this report,” fully expecting to blurt out a profanity when its rank didn’t meet my expectations.
But to my surprise, the color green has actually gained a popularity point! I like to think that green is having a moment with the cool kids, much like nerds did in the late 80’s or girls with glasses did in the mid 00’s.
The time has come, and hopefully will continue to come, for green cars to shine their olivey-limey rays of light down upon us from their brilliant viridescent 2% pedestal. Hooray for green cars!
Reports from Autotrader point towards green having “above-average resale value” along with its cousins gold and blue. This says something to me, or rather it hints at something having to do with class and car color, but I’m a goony simpleton who drives a black SUV that blinds me with the glare of screaming warning lights that seem to permanently have residence on my dashboard.
It’s okay though, my day will come. My vision board of green cars, green Chanel purses, and green size-6 Fashion Nova dresses will definitely not let me down and perhaps (PERHAPS) writing about this longtime fantasy of mine will somehow bring a four-wheeled knight in shining green paint to my driveway.
Well said, Sally. Maybe we’ll get rid of that ass-pain of a Tiguan and find you something nice and green and without a constantly-burning check engine light.
You’ll all be happy to know I’ll be buying a yellow car soon.
The bad news is that it’s an SUV. Oh well. Can’t win em all.
Looks like David Tracy is going to have to paint that van, too.
White, with “free candy” on the side?
Italy is the greatest. It’s just facts
New whip is Volvo Denim Blue. One of the drivers of fomo to make the purchase. I rarely buy new, so color is usually not a consideration when making the buy. My dd cars have been black, white, black, black and black since moving to the US in 2007.
I did have a Duchess Gold with white vinyl top 1971 Coupe deVille that really broke the mold color wise.
I’ve had a green car. This wife’s new Maverick is Cactus Grey, which is really sort of a light green. Also had a first generation “new” Mini in British Racing Green with a white top. Then it became the ex-wife’s car.
I mean, it’s the color of the leaves. And it can be cool, and friendly-like.
It’s still not easy.
The last time I bought a new car, the color options were, if I recall, four shades of gray, red or blue. And buying used, color is much lower priority than many other factors, so it tends to be just whatever’s available. As long as it’s not white. I hate a white car, usually.
One agreed upon thing in my current relationship is that, when I replace the current car – which is a nice, vibrant blue – it is going to be painted a color. I don’t want grayscale, boyfriend doesn’t want grayscale. We would have considered the amazing yellow of the new Prius if I fit in it (which I don’t).
Welcome Sally! May your yellow (warning lights) brick road lead to the emerald city!
My wife’s favorite color is green and she’s owned 3 green cars over the years and I’ve owned one myself. She’d love another green car but they’re not easy to find. It’s not that people don’t want colors so much as the manufacturers aren’t offering it.
For my part I’m currently representing team blue. I seriously considered the orange and yellow offerings but Subaru’s WRB was just too hard to pass up.
I’m proud to be part of that small, but vocal 2% minority. I love my Jeep’s Natural Green Pearl. Interestingly, it was only selected on about 2% of JKs produced. The color is the primary reason I decided I had to buy it (I’m a notoriously slow, picky shopper) right away.
I’ve also had a ’93 YJ and a ’93 ZJ, both in the very excellent Hunter Metallic Green. In fact, I’ve had an XJ6 in the majestic Brooklands Green.
Unfortunately, it’s less common today, but Jeep used to represent traditional shades of green pretty well.
I replaced my brown VW with a red one 5 years ago, and my wife replaced her blue VW with a dark blue Mazda a few weeks ago, so we’re trying
Thinking my champagne quartz metallic falls into the brown category and my kashmir beige ie gold falls into yellow?
We try to do our part. I have never owned a silver, grey or black car. The two new vehicles we have bought were green and red and my current fleet has a red car and truck, a white car and a red motorcycle. Sadly my gains are wiped out by my son who has owned 3 white trucks, a white car and a black car.
Our current fleet is Orange, Green, and god I hate it white. But white was all that was available during peak COVID in the car we wanted. I HATE white cars. They remind me of all the old lady sedans of the 70s.
Since I was a kid I had always wanted a car in British Racing Green. I haven’t achieved that, but I came damn close with my Fiat 500L in Verde Bosco Perla (forest green pearl). Sadly I did eventually trade it for a pearl white crossover, but at least it’s not black. (You should only drive a black car if you have a coffin or a VIP in the back, or if your car is the Last of the V8 Interceptors.)
Shockingly, the two CUVs I’ve been looking at recently are both available in green, with actual examples available on dealer lots. Those being the Nissan Pathfinder and Subaru Ascent. The Subie is a much prettier green, but a much uglier car.
We are currently a quadruple-red household (‘dark red’ Cougar, ‘inferno red crystal’ Magnum, ‘red candy metallic’ Mustang, ‘ruby red metallic’ Expedition) with the only holdout being the ‘storm gray metallic’ Yukon.
Oddly, my favorite car color is blue…
I did my part – I have two blue vehicles!
With that said, I went to look at cars earlier today to get a gauge on what would fit as a replacement for our aging minivan, and the number of non-white/grey/black cars was extremely disappointing. We drove through the Lexus dealership and it was a sea of achromatic options aside from a lone LC500 in that sweet, sweet blue. The sea of grey was the case at the Hyundai, Cadillac, Honda, Mercedes and Toyota dealerships. The lone exception was Acura – half the lot was achromatic, but the rest was vibrant blues and reds.
As others have noted – I don’t necessarily think it is strictly people choosing white/grey/black, but rather those are the options given them from the dealer offerings.
Doh! I forgot about the Subaru dealership, which like Acura had some color variety as well with green and blue mixed in with all the white and black.
I’d love to see how this breaks down across automotive segments. Or income. Or smaller regions. Also wonder how much of a factor the wrap industry (is it an industry?) influences what’s actually on the road. Around here (PNW) every other car is a Tesla, probably shipped as black or white, but many of them are color wrapped.
This is a hindsight chart to a showing what happens in a capitalist market. Makers don’t wanna make more colors because that costs more money and now this “report” shows us that. Big whoop. People aren’t PICKING black/white/grey. That’s all that’s made by choice from the makers.
+1. And how have the supply chain and labor crises of the last 3-4 years contributed to this? If carmakers were producing fewer cars, did they also narrow the color field to streamline production?
Based on other articles about color or lack of color, in the US dealer ordering has a massive effect. Dealers order the “safe” non colors because of perceived resale value, or least common denominator first sale. Counterintuitively red cars tend to have better US resale value. The manufacturers follow suit apart from “sporty” models and signature colors like Mazda Soul Red or Kia Alien Green.
Sure, but some cars, the only choices are , Black, Grey, White, Silver, Moondust, Pavement, and then 1999 Mary Kay LipStick Red. Then they wonder why no ones buys the red.
I’m trying over here… My wife and I both have GREEN cars!!
I’ve kinda settled on a white or silver for my next car. Owned red, silvers, carbon grey pearl (dark blue-grey metallic), dark metallic grey and a couple shades of whites. I live in the summer over called central TX, so the darker colors are just that extra layering on a grief I don’t need in the summer. Plus having worked in a dealership detailing dept when i was younger, I hate black due to how easy it showed scratches.
The exception may be a cool green metallic straight out of the 70s on something like a Charger SCAT Pack.
Given BASF’s history, I’m not surprised they would want to white wash it. Or at least claim it’s a grey area.
When I was in college I worked nights as a janitor cleaning floors and carpets and the BASF auto paint plant was the worst. The fumes from those petrochemical solvents enveloped you like a fog as soon as you stepped inside the gates and the workers were all glassy eyed. Instant headache. It was in the polluted side of town that is politely referred to as the “industrial corridor” now and you had to drive under a set of train tracks to get inside.
I just looked it up and it’s got me seeing red. So many victims out there singing the blues thanks to them.
As a huge VW fan I say, YES, KILL THE TIGUAN! Get rid of it yesterday. I hear there’s some ridiculously handsome guy name Goose or something living near you who like to buy POS cars. Kidding of course, CarMax that bitch ASAP.
I have two cars in British Racing Green, one black, one blue, two red, one white, although the white is just a parts car. Would prefer everything to be BRG or Blue.
Keeping my yellow/orange school bus color Wrangler as long as I can. Green cars? Owned two, totaled both, so that’s a no-go.
This is why we don’t have colors. As if the color green had anything to do with it or will have anything to do with in the future.