White still the most popular car color

White still the most popular car color

When it comes to car colors, North Americans and drivers across the globe remain true to their longtime favorite choice – white. Just below white for North Americans are black, gray and silver, followed by red, blue, and green. Thats the news in the latest annual survey by PPG Industries, a manufacturer of transportation coatings.

But theres white and theres white.

While white continues to be the most dominant choice in car color, we see growth in the variety of whites being offered to consumers, said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager of car styling and OEM coatings. Car manufacturers are seeking ways to create variations of white, silver, black and gray that are specific to their brands and that complement different vehicle types.

More findings from the study:

Sport models are most likely to feature shades of red and blue.

Minivans have the largest percentage of gold and beige vehicles.

Luxury vehicles, 57 percent of which were gray in 2013, are most likely to feature finishes in black metallic and white pearl.

Color varies most across SUVs, with fairly equal distributions finished in shades of white, black, blue, red and gray.

Drivers may see more blue in 2014. Blue has doubled in popularity over the past two years.

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