• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You've Never Heard Of
  • Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3
  • Overlanding is the New Hotness
  • New Vehicle Sales Increase in September
  • Are EVs Affordable? Only if You’re a Luxury Buyer
  • Honda Takes Wraps Off New All-Electric Prologue
  • Mercedes to Offer True Self-Driving in Late 2023
  • Biden Meets UAW Picketers, Offers Support
  • Ford Halts $3.5B MI Battery Plant; Fain Slams Company
  • An Electric Acura NSX Could Be Coming
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2024 Buick Encore GX Sport Touring AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+
    • A Week With: 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus
    • A Week With: 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV
    • A Week With: The 2024 BMW i7 xDrive60
    • A Week With: 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid
    • A Week With: 2024 Subaru Impreza RS
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss
    • First Drive: 2024 Polestar 2
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Business > We Live in a Black and White World — At Least When It Comes To Car Colors

        We Live in a Black and White World — At Least When It Comes To Car Colors

        The most popular car color choices for 2021 are bound to surprise no one. But what's coming just might.

        Larry Printz
        Larry Printz , Assistant Managing Editor
        Jan. 03, 2022
        Most buyers prefer their cars to be black, white silver or gray.

        In the car collector community, when a car is repainted red, rather than its original color, it’s known as “resale red.” Sellers believe red cars bring more sales.

        But according to paint supplier Axalta’s 2021 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, they should have painted it white. It’s the most popular color worldwide in 2021, the choice of 35% of car buyers.

        That’s followed by black (19%), gray (19%), silver (9%), blue (8%), red (5%), brown/beige (3%), green (1%), yellow/gold (1%) and orange (less than 1%).

        The white stuff

        Of course, white is the absence of color, so calling it one is a bit of misnomer. Still, it’s been the most popular car color worldwide since 2011, with Asians buying more white vehicles than any other region. But its popularity peaked in 2017 at 39%, and has been declining ever since. This year, it declined three percentage points, with most of that loss coming from China, where it saw a seven-percentage point drop. 

        BASF’s coatings division released its preiction of upcomong popular colors.

        The exception to this white desire is Europe, where 27% of buyers choose gray more often than any other color, with white coming in second at 23%.

        But when it comes to colors, car buyers prefer not having any. White, gray and black are the preferred pigments of buyers in North America, Europe, Russia, Africa, Asia and China. Substitute silver for black and you have the top-three color choices in India, South Korea, and South America. 

        Color my world

        In North America, white is the favored color of 28% of car buyers – 11% solid white, 17% pearl white. Gray is second at 21%, followed by black at 20% – 8% solid black, 12% special effects black. Blue comes in fourth at 10%, with silver tied at 10%, followed by red (8%), brown/beige (2%), green (1%), yellow/gold and orange, both at less than 1%. 

        BASF predicts that a color they call Lambent Earth will become popular.

        The report notes that the popularity of gray increased 2%, moving it to second place. Blue held steady, while red rose 1%. In contrast, silver and white both declined in popularity.

        Not surprisingly, different regions favor different colors.

        Blue is most popular in Europe, whereas red is most popular in North America. Brown/beige is a hot color in Russia, while yellow/gold remains most popular in Asia.

        In living color

        Yet the lack of popularity in the colors at the bottom of the charts suggests they’re ripe for a comeback. You might have noticed your neighbor’s Thermal Orange Acura RDX or Dragon Orange Metallic Audi Q8. A Sao Paulo Yellow BMW M4 might have passed you of the freeway last week. Or maybe you spotted that Cyber Orange Ford Bronco, or Lime Orange Aston Martin Vantage. Then there’s that Ascot Green Kia Stinger that would look at home on a Jaguar, or the Hellraisin Dodge Challenger that looks as if it stepped out of 1970. 

        2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
        2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in
        Amplify Orange Tintcoat. Orange is the least-popular car color in 2021, suggesting it might be time for its comeback.

        Of course, we all known what people prefer, we can the results on the street. But what will consumers be choosing tomorrow? The coatings division of BASF released a report in late October on this year’s color trends, describing this year’s palette in obtuse pseudo logic. 

        “Things aren’t just black or white, heads or tails, one or zero,” the company said of its color forecast. “The world has an uncountable number of variations in-between. This collection immerses itself in those variations.”

        Yeah, whatever.

        The color that BASF predicts will be popular stateside is called “Lambent Earth” — aka burnt sienna. Deftly trashing its poetic license, BASF describes the color as “the essence of the bountiful energy and fragility in the world, combining a fiery glow with a natural brown. The result is a balance that strikes a chord with human steadfastness. This color space anchors itself in optimism and resilience and shows the potential.”

        Yeah? But why will it be popular? What’s driving the trend? BASF dropped nary a clue.

        So while you might not opt for these colors, you might want to consider something more vibrant for you next ride. After all, life is too short to live in black and white.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You’ve Never Heard Of

        Today

        Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3

        Yesterday

        Overlanding is the New Hotness

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: