White Remains Top Vehicle Color Globally According to Axalta

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

Axalta released its 68th Global Automotive Color Popularity Report today, and it said 81 percent of vehicles are white, black, gray or silver. White at 38 percent is the most frequently purchased automotive color worldwide and has been for 10 years consecutively. Black remains at 19 percent year-over-year and is a luxury vehicle favorite. Gray, at 15 percent, is up two percent and is at a 10-year high. Meanwhile, silver is in decline in all regions, now at just nine percent. This shift from silver to gray in many markets is its perception as a more modern and luxurious color.

Axalta is a leading supplier of liquid and powder coatings, and its annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report captures data from every country where automobiles are produced. Their report enables automakers to observe trends across the globe and in particular markets.

“Consumer purchasing trends reflected in the report drives development of colors for the future,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta global product manager of color. “We’re pleased to share this data and bring together our color technology, market experience, and trend data to bring colors to life.”

Innovative color choices for automotive buyers follow the latest home, fashion, and product trends, including an interest in green-blue and green-yellow shades. Also noteworthy is the increasing global use of gray, and nuances such as fine flake effects and hints of color flakes. While we’ve yet to see a vehicle in teal metallic, it could happen if the color continues to trend upwards.

Results of the Global Automotive Color Popularity report are based on analysis of 2020 automotive build data and are indicators of current market trends. Reporting on the industry’s color trends started in 1953, and Axalta also makes color forecasts as reported in their global annual color trend forecast. Automotive colors that are aesthetically pleasing and functionally beneficial evolve as vehicle and consumer preferences change.

[Images: Axalta, © 2020 J. Sakurai/TTAC]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

More by Jason R. Sakurai

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 47 comments
  • Ponchoman49 Ponchoman49 on Dec 18, 2020

    Proof that depression is running high and strong and it looks like it will continue this way for the foreseeable future. The all black fad furthers this sad state of affairs. Give me some color and bling ot jest things up man!

  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Dec 18, 2020

    Yellow/gold ahead of green 2:1? What's wrong with people?

  • Mike-NB2 This is a mostly uninformed vote, but I'll go with the Mazda 3 too.I haven't driven a new Civic, so I can't say anything about it, but two weeks ago I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental. While I can understand why so many people buy these, I was surprised at how bad the CVT is. Many rentals I've driven have a CVT and while I know it has one and can tell, they aren't usually too bad. I'd never own a car with a CVT, but I can live with one as a rental. But the Corolla's CVT was terrible. It was like it screamed "CVT!" the whole time. On the highway with cruise control on, I could feel it adjusting to track the set speed. Passing on the highway (two-lane) was risky. The engine isn't under-powered, but the CVT makes it seem that way.A minor complaint is about the steering. It's waaaay over-assisted. At low speeds, it's like a 70s LTD with one-finger effort. Maybe that's deliberate though, given the Corolla's demographic.
  • Mike-NB2 2019 Ranger - 30,000 miles / 50,000 km. Nothing but oil changes. Original tires are being replaced a week from Wednesday. (Not all that mileage is on the original A/S tires. I put dedicated winter rims/tires on it every winter.)2024 - Golf R - 1700 miles / 2800 km. Not really broken in yet. Nothing but gas in the tank.
  • SaulTigh I've got a 2014 F150 with 87K on the clock and have spent exactly $4,180.77 in maintenance and repairs in that time. That's pretty hard to beat.Hard to say on my 2019 Mercedes, because I prepaid for three years of service (B,A,B) and am getting the last of those at the end of the month. Did just drop $1,700 on new Michelins for it at Tire Rack. Tires for the F150 late last year were under $700, so I'd say the Benz is roughly 2 to 3 times as pricy for anything over the Ford.I have the F150 serviced at a large independent shop, the Benz at the dealership.
  • Bike Rather have a union negotiating my pay rises with inflation at the moment.
  • Bike Poor Redapple won't be sitting down for a while after opening that can of Whiparse
Next