Purple Paint Popular among Chrysler's Customers

08/16/96

Chrysler has announced the addition of different shades of Purple to it's color palette this Fall. Margaret Hackstedde, one of Chrysler's Chief Designers, said that purple, "along with earthtones including gold, brown and tan" will take its place in Chrysler's fall line up: "people will undoubtedly notice it when they step into a showroom. Much like our designs, we expect purple to evoke a strong, passionate emotional response from our audience. It's a fun color that commands recognition."

Chrysler said that different shades of purple will be offered in a variety of Chrysler products including Plymouth Neon, Chrysler Sebring Convertible, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Cirrus, Dodge Stratus, Plymouth Breeze, Dodge Intrepid, and Chrysler's signature minivans. The new shades will include Iris, Orchid, Magenta and Deep Amethyst. Plymouth's Prowler will even sport its own special shade--"Prowler" purple.

Chrysler employs a creative staff dedicated solely to developing color ideas. The staff's primary challenge derives from the fact that Chrysler's time-frame for bringing new cars to market is two to three years: the staff has to predict which colors will be popular a couple of years into the future.

Hackstedde said that Chrysler's color staff works "closely with industry color forecasters including the Color Marketing Group and the International Color Authority. Together," she continued, " we have our fingers on the pulse of which colors will be popular in the future." Chrysler generally offers 10 different colors for each of its models.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel