DuPont Automotive: Silver, Other 'Techno-colors' Drive 21st Century Consumers
7 January 2000
DuPont Automotive: Silver, Other 'Techno-colors' Drive 21st Century Consumers
Emotion, Nature and Technology Inspire Vehicle Colors
TROY, Mich., Jan. 6 -- It's a new millennium and consumers
want vehicle colors that reflect the public's growing interest in technology,
as they seek comfort in nature. Either way, motorists want a choice of colors
that deliver a strong emotional impact. As the global leader in automotive
coatings, DuPont Herberts Automotive Systems has issued its 1999 exterior
color popularity data, used as a baseline for determining the vehicle color
trends for 2003 and beyond.
The 48th annual DuPont color popularity survey reflects the growing
emergence of "techno-colors," such as silver, along with nature-based colors
including warm browns and a new interest in cool blues. The emotional impact
of black and traditional primary colors such as red is also expected to remain
strong.
White retained dominance in the full/intermediate, sport/compact and
sport-utility vehicle/van segments. The popularity of white was bolstered by
pearlescent effects that produced a silky luminance, especially in the luxury
vehicle segment where white recaptured the top ranking from light beige
metallic.
As DuPont predicted last year, silver made the most significant gains in
popularity with consumers in North America during 1999. Most notably, silver
leaped from fourth place to first in the sport/compact category, attracting
16.2 percent of consumers and rose to second place in the luxury and
full/intermediate car categories. A wide variety of tinted silvers also rose
significantly in Europe. Green, which has been in the top spot for the past
four years, declined in every category except the SUV/truck/van segment, where
it gained in popularity by 3.8 percent to become the third ranked color after
white and black. The most popular color in Europe, blue gained popularity in
North America, particularly in the sport/compact and SUV/truck/van segments.
"These are exciting times for the automotive industry. Designers are
pushing back boundaries and vehicle concepts once considered too wild for mass
production are now hitting the show rooms," said Robert S. Daily, color
styling and marketing manager, DuPont Automotive Finishes. "These bold, new
vehicle designs demand fresh colors. Silver has always conjured images of
space-age technology. But as a coatings innovator, DuPont has introduced an
entire palette of tinted silvers, ranging from icy/cool bluish tones to
warmer, more golden shades. Improved coatings technology, especially in more
durable clearcoats, continues to open the door for a wider range of color
choices."
Coloring the Future
Looking ahead, the hot colors of the first years of new millennium will
continue to reflect a trust in technology, but also convey a financial
optimism. "Silver is hot right now, but in the future, look for shades of
gold to seize a growing share of the market. Gold shows a sense of grandeur
and prosperity, relating to a luxurious lifestyle that people want," said
Daily.
DuPont supplied topcoat finishes for every one of the top-10-selling
vehicle models in 1999. DuPont currently is showing automotive stylists more
than 100 innovative new colors for year 2003 models, and leads in the number
of new colors chosen for new vehicle production throughout the world.
Consumer Color Preferences
There is no "sure-fire" way to explain how color affects consumers' buying
habits because individual car buyers have unique tastes. However, there is no
doubt color is important. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. consumers will switch
vehicle brands if they can't get their color of choice, according to a study
by national polling firm Yankelovich & Partners.
With world headquarters in Troy, Mich., DuPont Automotive offers more than
100 product lines to the global automotive industry including plastics,
coatings, fibers, fabricated products, refrigerants, specialty chemicals and
lubricants. DuPont worldwide automotive sales currently total $6 billion.
DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a
difference in people's lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home
and construction; electronics; and transportation. Founded in 1802, the
company operates in 65 countries and has 97,000 employees.
Note: Chromax(R), Centari(R), Tinted Generation(R), Surlyn(R), Corian(R)
and Teflon(R) are registered trademarks of DuPont.
1999 DUPONT AUTOMOTIVE
COLOR POPULARITY SURVEY RESULTS
Numbers reflect percentage of vehicles manufactured during the 1999 model
year in North America
Luxury Full/Intermediate
1999 1998 1999 1998
White Met. 5.8 12.3 White 15.4 15.6
Silver 14.8 9.2 Silver 14.1 11.0
Lt. Brown 12.9 17.7 Lt. Brown 14.0 14.1
White 10.3 11.3 Med./Dk. Green 13.9 16.4
Black 9.4 12.3 Black 11.7 8.9
Med. Gray 8.3 5.3 Med./Dk. Blue 6.4 6.0
Gold 7.0 4.8 Med. Red 5.7 6.5
Med. Red 6.0 7.5 Bright Red 4.9 N/A
Med./Dk. Green 6.1 10.0 Med. Gray 4.3 N/A
Med./Dk. Blue 4.9 4.8 Gold 1.8 N/A
Sport/Compact SUV/Truck/Van
1999 1998 1999 1998
Silver 16.2 10.4 White 26.2 22.5
Black 14.7 15.0 Black 11.2 15.5
White 14.0 14.7 Med./Dk. Green 11.0 7.2
Med./Dk. Green 12.4 15.9 Med./Dk. Blue 8.4 4.7
Med./Dk. Blue 8.5 5.3 Silver 7.7 6.2
Lt. Brown 8.5 7.0 Med. Red 7.4 7.2
Bright Red 7.5 9.5 Lt. Brown 6.2 6.1
Med. Red 7.0 6.4 Bright Red 6.1 7.1
Dk. Red 4.5 N/A Med./Dk. Gray 4.5 N/A
Lt. Green 1.7 N/A Dk. Red 3.1 4.5
Results by Vehicle Category 1999
* Light brown lost the lead to white metallic and silver in the luxury
car category, while green plunged to the bottom of the chart and black also
dropped. This is significant because luxury car colors usually steer changes
across all categories.
* White continued to top the full/intermediate category, with silver
right behind it. Light brown and black remained steady, but green declined
from first to fourth place. Bright red, medium gray and gold also entered the
top ten.
* Silver shot up 5.8 percent to dominate the sport/compact category,
while green dropped from first to fourth place; black and white remained in
the same spots as last year. Dark red and light green moved into the ninth
and tenth spots, respectively, after an absence from the top 10 the previous
three years, replacing aqua and purple.
* White remained the favorite in the SUV/truck/van category, which
represents more than 40 percent of all vehicles sold. Black topped green for
second place, and blue and silver continued to move up. Medium/dark gray also
joined the top ten.
Overall Results
* Silver, one of the emerging "high-tech" colors that evokes high
technology and mystery, increased in popularity in all four categories.
* Medium/dark blue climbed the charts in all four categories,
particularly in the sport/compact and SUV/truck/van segments.
* Green, a member of the top two in three of the four categories for the
previous three years, lost ground in all four categories except SUV/truck/van.
* Light brown lost points in every category while gray enters the fray
and becomes more popular in every category besides sport/compact, where gray
isn't in the top ten.
Results by Vehicle Category 1998
* Light brown held its lead in the luxury car category, but medium gray
and gold moved into the eighth and tenth spots, respectively, after an absence
from the top 10 in 1997 and 1996.
* Silver gained more than 6.2 percent in the full/intermediate category,
closing the gap on the two leaders -- green and white.
* Green continues to dominate the sport/compact and full/intermediate
categories, but lost ground to white, black and silver.
* White outpaced green to remain the perennial favorite in the
truck/SUV/van category, which represents more than 40 percent of all vehicles
sold. In third place, black continued its challenge for the lead with a gain
for the third straight year.
Overall Results
* Both silver, one of the emerging "high-tech" colors, and black, always
a popular vehicle color that evokes high technology and mystery, increased in
popularity in all four categories.
* Silver doubled in the full/intermediate category and nearly doubled in
the sport/compact and truck/SUV/van categories.
* Green, a member of the top two in three of the four categories for the
previous three years, lost ground in all four categories.