With its BASF Color Report For Automotive OEM Coatings, BASF’s Coatings Division delivered a global analysis of the colour distribution in the 2017 automotive market.
Globally, white maintains its strong position in all vehicle segments and is still the overall number one colour with a market share of almost 40 percent. Together with black, grey, and silver, the achromatic colours continue to be the most prominent.
Regarding chromatic colours, the share of blue and red is almost equal, followed by brown. The global overview of the car segments shows the smaller the car, the more vivid the colour.
In a specific segment, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) significantly influence the popularity data due to increased sales and model choices. While white and black are still strong colours within this segment, red, blue, and especially brown are gaining popularity. This mirrors the expected growth and diversification of the model range of these robust vehicles.
When it comes to the North American market, the report discovered that new pigment technologies increase the demand for special effects that shimmer and shine. This leads to a larger variety within the colour segments—especially with the achromatics white, black and silver/gray, which are the most popular vehicle colours in North America.
Even in the growing segment of electric vehicles, achromatic colours are still preferred—although grey/silver appear to be more popular than white or black at this early stage in electric vehicle development. Colour aesthetics are being increasingly considered in combination with functionality, so the ability to be detected by sensors has more relevance than ever before, and BASF will continue to monitor these developments.
“Our trend research shows the continued importance of the achromatic colour space, dominated by white, black and gray,” said Paul Czornij, Head of Design for BASF Color Design Excellence Group in North America. “It is critical for us to innovate in these areas, so we look for unique ways to find colours that capture the essence of the customer’s brand to help define the shape of the car.”
