Most popular colours in 2006

The most popular car colours in North America (Canada and USA) for the year ending 2006 were as follows.

Proposed reasons

Chris Webb, the exterior color and trend designer for GM North America, suggests that silver is the most popular colour as light reflects off it, accentuating the architectural design, and that it hides dirt and has a higher resale price (10% higher than white cars, a reason many UK police agencies made the switch from white to silver). There is evidence, however, that the popularity of silver is decreasing.

It is alleged that black, white and gray also dominate the list many cars are bought straight off dealership and these colours are the ones most oft purchased by dealers (they provide security as they are more likely to sell). These neutral colours are also often the choice for rental fleets.

Future trends

Webb maintains that conservative colours will continue to dominate the car market, however predicts that there may be an increasing trend towards more radical designs, such as greens, pinks and hue-shifting finishes (which change colour depending on the angle the paint is viewed). Preferences related with road safety will also become important, since both drivers and insurance companies will prefer colours that are easy to see to avoid crashes.

References