PPG Data Shows White Continues to Dominate as Most Popular Global Vehicle Color

According to PPG's global data, white ranked first (up 3 percent from last year to 28 percent), followed by black (18 percent), and silver and gray tied for third (13 percent each). Silver's popularity continues to decrease across the globe, dropping seven percent over the last two years.

"Car manufacturers across the world are continually seeking new ways to create a unique appearance for models and vehicle brands. As color selection takes place two or three years in advance of a model year, it is important for auto makers to combine color popularity with global consumer trends," said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer) coatings. "Today, automotive manufacturers can choose from a broad array of colors as well as a wide assortment of variations of conservative hues such as white, silver, black and gray, and distinct effects such as micas, glass flakes, fine bright aluminum and hue-shifting pigments."

Regional trend highlights from the 2014 data include:

• In North America, white remains most popular (23 percent), followed by black (18 percent), gray (16 percent) and silver (15 percent).
• In South America, silver and white lead in popularity (32 percent each), followed by black (13 percent), gray (11 percent), red (8 percent) and blue (2 percent).
• In Europe, white remains most popular (25 percent), followed by black (15 percent) and gray (14 percent), and natural shades such as golds, beiges, yellows, oranges and browns continue to grow in popularity (12 percent).
• In Asia Pacific markets, white remains most popular (31 percent), followed by black (20 percent) and silver (12 percent).