Find out what were the most requested paint shades for new cars in 2021. White retains the lead globally, but is now behind gray in Europe. With a few exceptions, bright colors remain marginal.
Axalta, which is one of the main suppliers of paint to the automotive industry, has been studying which colors are most in demand each year since 1953. The American company has just published its figures for 2021. Globally, white remains largely dominant. This is generally a no-cost shade (in a simple lacquer finish), and it has the advantage of repelling the heat of the Sun. 35% of cars sold in 2021 were sold in white, according to Axalta, including 21% in basic white and 14% in pearl white. Black, dark gray and silver gray always follow.
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World color ranking in 2021:
- white (35%)
- black (19%)
- dark gray (19%)
- silver gray (9%)
- blue (8%)
- red (5%)
- brown / beige (3%)
- green (1%)
- yellow / gold (1%)
- others (<1%)
Gray takes precedence over white in Europe
Behind the neutral shades mentioned above, blue therefore remains the most requested color. This is the color traditionally associated with electric cars with increasing sales. Blue is growing by one percent globally to 8%, and its popularity is now surpassing silver gray in North America, Africa, Japan, South Korea and Europe. . Corn on the Old Continent, the most remarkable trend is the progression of dark gray, which now dethrones white at the top of the ranking. These two colors were tied at 25% in 2020, now dark gray accounts for 27% and white for 23%.
Dark gray is notably the most popular color in Europe for compact and sporty vehicles (30%) as well as for mid-size cars and minivans (33%), while SUVs and utility vehicles are predominantly chosen in white ( 30%) while luxury models are mainly ordered in black (37%). It is different in North America for example, where white predominates largely in these four categories.
Tastes and colors
After blue, red is globally the most popular (5%) apart from white, black and gray. But in China where it is the national color, red is preceded by shades of yellow. The Indian market retains its specificities. The variations of brown appear in 4th position ahead of red, black and blue.
At the global level, green also manages to climb into the colors referenced here with a 1% market share. The other shades remain cumulatively under the hundredth bar. Failing to be an asset for resale, they therefore make it possible to stand out, which some high-end manufacturers have understood by multiplying the original colors in recent years.
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