ROLLE, Switzerland – For the ninth consecutive year, the silver category, which includes charcoal and gray shades, has ranked as the most popular vehicle color in the world according to data from PPG Industries, a leading manufacturer of transportation coatings.

 

In Europe, silver and charcoal (35 percent) were followed by black (22 percent), blue and white (13 percent each). These four color categories comprise more than 80 percent of all vehicles in Europe. Red was fifth with nine percent, followed by naturals (five percent), green (two percent) and other/niche colors (one percent). White is perhaps the fastest-growing color in Europe, comprising only seven percent of vehicles just two years ago.

 

“White is considered to be very trendy and sporty by consumers in Europe,” said Reiner Mueller-Koerber, PPG Manager, Color Styling, Europe. “There is high demand to develop white with unique effects. This new interest in white will continue to be a challenge for the designers and technicians.”

 

In North America, silver and charcoal (25 percent) were followed by white (18 percent), black (16 percent), red (12 percent), blue (11 percent), natural colors (seven percent) and green (four percent).

 

In the Asia-Pacific region, silver and charcoal (34 percent) were followed by black (21 percent), white (17 percent), blue (nine percent), red (seven percent), naturals (six percent), other/niche colors (four percent) and green (two percent).

 

“Clearly, the automotive industry is moving toward more color choices,” said Jane E. Harrington, PPG Manager, Color Styling, Automotive Coatings, in Troy, MI. “Palettes are broadening as the number of models decreases and the industry consolidates. Going forward, automotive manufacturers are going to be relying on color more and more to distinguish their brands.”

 

This year’s annual Automotive Color Trend show included a collection of interior and exterior colors developed globally and inspired by fashion, interior design, industrial design, culture, commercial construction and nature. PPG presented automotive designers with 60 new exterior shades and 10 new interior shades for consideration in their designs of the 2012-2013 model years. The new shades were grouped in four themes based on vehicle type: “Dimension” for compact vehicles, “Perspective” for mid-size vehicles, “Surface” for hybrid vehicles and “Depth” for luxury automobiles.

 

PPG introduced automotive manufacturers to new colors such as Champagne Silver, a tinted silver with a slight warm copper beige cast; Outer Space Blue, a deep, dark blue with a slight sparkle effect; Haute Couture, a black base coat with a high sparkle blue mid-coat that gives it an appearance inspired by a black designer evening gown with blue sequins; Quantum Rose, an interior color close to a neon red; and Hulk, a color developed in Australia that is bright green, just like its namesake.

 

In addition to the new exterior and interior colors, PPG added a computer-generated imaging demonstration to the show. This provides automotive designers with the ability to see some of the new colors as they might appear on new model vehicles.

 

In addition to color trend forecasting, PPG is continuing to develop new paint technologies that offer automotive design options to enhance appearance and help manufacturers differentiate their brands.

 

One of the paint systems that PPG previewed at the show is a next generation of glass flake coatings. These are paints that include very smooth glass flakes coated with various metal-oxide layers. “Because of the coating’s narrow particle distribution and very smooth surface, this product shows extreme sparkle and brightness,” said Jerry R. Koenigsmark, PPG Manager of Color Design, North America automotive coatings. Koenigsmark said that the company hopes to make these coatings available commercially in the next two to three years.

 

PPG also highlighted its Chaos Sky White mica coatings. These are new shades of white based on synthetic micas coated with titanium dioxide.

 

Additionally, PPG spotlighted its new inorganic infrared-reflective pigments. These coatings have very high solar reflectivity that helps to keep the vehicle cooler, reduce air conditioning use and reduce fuel consumption.