DuPont's 2006 Color Popularity Report Shows Global Trends in Automotive Color Choice - Photos Available

Silver Holds the Top Spot Globally, With Growth Seen in Vibrant Colors in North America and Asia

TROY, Mich., Nov. 29 -- For the seventh consecutive year, silver has held its lead as the predominant color choice for vehicles globally. Vibrant colors such as red and orange also registered noticeable growth around the world according to DuPont Automotive's 2006 Color Popularity Report.

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Since overtaking green in 2000, silver has held the top spot -- the longest of any color during the 54 years DuPont has been tracking automotive vehicle color choice. However, there has been a broadening of the range of tones in silver and in gray, another top choice. The trend for the future includes the infusion of these neutral colors with greens, reds and purples, which provides customers a broader palette of choices.

The DuPont Global Color Popularity Report remains the automotive industry's authoritative standard for analyzing and predicting vehicle color trends as chosen by consumers. The report includes segmentation by world regions as well as by vehicle type. This year, the report is segmented further to highlight variations within the Asian marketplaces. As the leader in the automotive coatings market, the DuPont Color Popularity Report is a benchmark for the automotive industry and its influence reaches out into fashion, home furnishings and consumer electronics.

Global Automotive Color Trends

"We are seeing a growing convergence in color preference globally. But while the world is becoming flatter and tastes are harmonizing globally, we think that it is also important to look deeply at the cultural and taste differences in large and growing markets, such as Asia," said Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager, DuPont Automotive Systems.

Japan's color choices remain consistent with last year's overall Asian results where neutrals were dominant with silver at 27 percent, white/white pearl 24 percent, black 16 percent and gray 12 percent. The chroma color of blue rounds out the top five overall with 10 percent of the market.

Typically the bottom half of the top ten colors point to the growth trend for future colors. A clear trend for the future includes warmer tones such as red as well as the continued strength of blue. Blue and red have strengthened their positions as popular vehicle colors in North America each with 11 percent share and in China with 17 percent share for blue and 9 percent share for red. Blue remains a top choice in Europe with a 13 percent share overall and a top three color choice in the compact/sport segment with a 15 percent share.

The stronger showing of higher chroma colors throughout the world points to a desire by consumers for more personalization of their vehicles. This boldness allows for smaller vehicles to make a strong statement and is most evident in the compact/sport segment, where globally, red and orange have seen a large upswing, notably in the three Asian markets and in North America. Red surfaced as the top color choice in the compact vehicle segment in South Korea, with 22 percent, as well as in the North American market compact/sport category, from 9 percent in 2005 to 15 percent in 2006.

Black remains a top choice across the global landscape. It is among the top five colors in the regions examined and has gained ground in specific segments in North America. The 2006 color popularity report sees growth of black in the North American luxury segment with 22 percent, mirroring black's longstanding first place among European luxury vehicles with 37 percent. These gains in North America closely follow the European acceptance and growth of metallic black. Black has also gained ground in the intermediate vehicle segment in North America.

In South Korea, black is second in overall ranking of color choice with 21 percent, behind the leader, silver, by one percentage point. Gray and white/white pearl hold 19 and 18 percent of the share respectively. The remainder of the color palette in South Korea -- blue, light brown and red -- accounts for 22 percent total.

Business and Larger Economic and Social Trends

According to the Socionomics Institute in Gainesville, Georgia, color trends provide insight into the larger public mood in North America. "The popularity of silver has correlated with the optimism that attended the twin financial manias of the past nine years, the stock market boom surrounding the year 2000 and the housing boom since then," said Mark Galasiewski, a senior analyst at the Institute. "The spread of silver's popularity worldwide since 1998 has also mirrored the synchronization of global equity markets." The Institute's research into historical financial and social trends suggests that such synchronization eventually tempers as society enters a period of dynamic change.

The coming period could be remarkably similar to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when white, a color that had championed a long economic expansion, suddenly faced challengers. White's market share, which had peaked at 20.8 percent in 1963, eventually slid to the mid-single digits by the early 1970s. From 1968 to 1972, earth tones such as medium brown-gold, copper-bronze, and medium and dark green dominated the top positions.

The mood of the late '60s also initiated the design of brightly colored muscle and racing cars highlighted with yellow-influenced colors such as orange. In the positive mood cycle that began in the early 1980s, red dominated that vehicle segment for 12 years until 1997, and has since waned. "Although yellow never achieved the broad popularity of red, the color may now be having its day in the sun," said Galasiewski. "The currently re-emerging horsepower wars among the automobile manufacturers also support the late 1960s parallel."

Color Trends in Mass Personalization

The trend to mass personalization, combined with the ability to provide a high level of customization in consumer goods, has opened up the opportunity for companies to provide differentiation for their customers through lower volume products and special packages and colors. The automotive industry has responded to this trend with smaller volume vehicles and special packages that allow a consumer to personalize a vehicle direct from the factory. Large volume light trucks and large sedans are making way for a variety of models including Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUVs). The CUV is starting to dominate the intermediate-sized vehicle segment, and is being called out in this year's color popularity results for North America.

With as many as 40 percent of consumers willing to switch brands for a specific color, according to a national poll commissioned by DuPont, it is as important as ever that auto manufacturers provide a range of colors and track consumer preferences, now and in the future. DuPont Automotive's 2006 Continental Chroma collection highlights a broad palette of choices with approximately 70 colors in six color families.

"We have assembled a global palette for our OEM customers to consider," said Surcina. "The world is becoming more globally oriented and our customers in the automotive industry are developing their vehicles and selecting colors to address tastes of their consumers worldwide."

New DuPont Technology Brings Advantages to its Customers

With DuPont advances in technology, customers are able to meet or exceed environmental sustainability mandates, improve business productivity goals and respond quickly to changing consumer tastes. The end result is more durable colors and special effects that can differentiate a vehicle for the OEM.

* DuPont EcoConcept uses patented technology to consolidate the traditional auto assembly paint line with up to a 30 percent savings in energy, emissions and cost. The innovation is being recognized in the 2007 Automotive News PACE Awards program.

* DuPont pioneered the automotive industry's first tri-coat finish to economically paint vehicles with a white pearlescent effect. It is now used by manufacturers for economical two-tone paint jobs. DuPont received the 2004 Automotive News PACE Award for this innovative technology.

* New pigment and flake combinations, including those that create a hue- shift based on the viewing angle are increasingly popular for creating new, distinctive niche colors.

* DuPont "SuperSolids technology" replaces solvent with up to 90 percent solids content for protective clearcoats that reduce VOC emissions and improve scratch and mar resistance. This technology won the U.S. EPA Clean Air Excellence Award.

* Experimental formulations for easy clean finishes using DuPont(TM) Teflon(R), glow-in-the-dark colors, badging that could be made possible by aligning metal flakes, and more are under development.

* Unique DuPont technology to replace petrochemical ingredients with highly functional bio-based polymers is expected to be the coming wave of technology over the next few years as petroleum costs continue to rise.

DuPont -- one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 20 years ago -- has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

DuPont is a science-based products and services 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 and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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