Silver and White Remain Motorists' Favorites in 52nd Annual DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report
WILMINGTON, Del., December 09, 2004 — Silver is the most popular color for new cars worldwide, according to the 2004 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report, released today. White took second place in all regions except for Europe, where black was in second position.
In its 52nd year, the DuPont Automotive report is the industry's authoritative source for analyzing and predicting vehicle color trends by vehicle model type and overall by region of the world. DuPont is the world's leading supplier of color coatings to the automotive industry. In the United States, DuPont coatings are featured on eight of the top 10 selling vehicles.
The new DuPont report includes clear indicators that chromatic shades are on the rise in North America. For example, light metallic brown and blue each have captured double-digit percentages of the overall vehicle market, and yellow looks hot on the right vehicles while red is on the rise again.
Karen Surcina, color programs manager for DuPont Automotive Systems, the automotive OEM unit of DuPont Performance Coatings, works with a DuPont designer in Europe to help automakers stay ahead of the color curve.
"We see the desire for color mirrored in the worlds of fashion and home furnishings," said Surcina. "Yet, our research in small focus groups shows that what people prefer in one setting isn't always what they buy when it comes to cars and trucks. Some buyers may rein in their expressive side and choose mainstream colors based on their perceived impact upon vehicle resale," she said.
"In others, we see more of a 'notice me' effect in the choice of brighter colors – people are becoming more optimistic, they're proud of their new car and want to be seen," Surcina said. "Yellow, in particular, is a high-visibility color that really works for the smaller SUV classes as well as for compact cars and certain sports cars."
Additional information on the DuPont Automotive Color Popularity report is available at www.automotive.dupont.com. (Click on news and events).
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
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12/09/04
Editor's Note: To receive a 2004 Global Color Popularity brochure featuring North American and global color trend information, please contact Bruce McLaughlan at 313 583-8003 or bmclaughlan@prismteam.com.
To download accompanying high-resolution graphics for this press release, please go to www.automotive.dupont.com and click on News and Events.
Your car color may speak volumes about you. Based on the DuPont Automotive rankings of most popular automotive colors in North America, here's what Car Answer Book (Capital Books, Sterling, Va.) author Lee Eiseman says vehicles reveal about their owners' personalities: