A Bold and Bright Future for Car Colors

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concept

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A blazing orange Chevrolet Camaro convertible concept was arguably the star of the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 22-inch wheels and drop-top profile aside, much of this car’s mass appeal was due to its eyeball-grabbing orange color.

“I can’t claim the attention was all about the color. But the ‘Hugger Orange Tricoat’ played a big role in the Camaro convertible’s success,” says GM’s Webb, who helped develop the hue. “It’s a high-impact trend color based on a historical Camaro paint job [which first appeared in 1969]. Both the general consumer and the Camaro enthusiast totally ‘got it,’” he says.

Occasionally, what designers see as a “trend” color breaks into the mass market, as in the case of orange. Originally seen as a niche color, GM now offers it on three-quarters of its models. “Orange will be moving much more into a copper space in the future,” says DuPont's Surcina. “It’s a niche, and has been a “notice me” color.”

Technical developments and new techniques can also lead to new colors, as in the case of Xirallic, a man-made crystal that adds the appearance of movement and dimension, and can be especially useful in breathing new life into a classic or basic color, such as white or gray. Webb says that Xirallic will be used in nearly 50 percent of GM’s North American colors in coming years.

Pouring on the Metal

The Trend Union’s Edelkoort predicts the emergence of gold in the automotive universe. “A few years ago, we started to see gold as more of a color and less as a metal. We saw it taking over many domains — most notably, of course, the cosmetic industry,” she says. It made its way into everything from chocolate to running shoes. “It’s like gold came down from its pedestal.” But that doesn’t make it timid, she says. “It’s a little more exclusive, and you need to have more guts to have a gold car. But it’s becoming a very important second color after silver,” Edelkoort says.

Color trend guru Li Edelkoort, of Trend Union

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Besides gold, she sees more metallic colors on the rise, including brass, bronze and tin. “I’m predicting a wave of patinated bronze colors will emerge — the greens, the darker tones.” 

She also looks for brown to get big. Deep browns are already appearing in car interiors, such as on various BMW models and the Saturn Aura’s Morocco Brown offering. But metallic brown exterior finishes will emerge as well. “Brown is still a suspect color in the luxury market. But it’s very chic to have a dark brown car,” says Edelkoort. She points to a rich brown that Nissan is currently offering on its Japan-only Cube subcompact. “It’s small, square and brown — like a piece of chocolate,” she says.

Edelkoort agrees that there will be a return to the gray car. “We are tired of black and white, in symbolic terms especially. Gray represents a need for osmosis and dialogue, a middle of the road mentality, which we haven’t addressed for the last 15 years. I think it’s very interesting and avant-garde to be like a mouse,” she says.

Click here to see a slideshow with more predictions from color experts.

The chart below lists data from the most recent DuPont Automotive International Color Popularity Survey. Numbers reflect the percentage of vehicles manufactured during the 2006 model year.

Most Popular Car Colors in North America: