Ciba Inc.
Klybeckstrasse 141, P.O. Box
Basel
4002
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 61 636 49 16
Fax.:
+41 61 636 25 59
The Future is White
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In 2006, dark colors or light shades of silver dominated the German roads. Over 45% of newly registered cars were silver. One in four cars was black and one in six was blue.
Only 15% of newly registered cars were red, green or some other color. Red had a hard time again in 2006. Back in 1980, 26% of the newly registered cars were red, while in 2006 the figure had dropped to 4.5%.
Red cars at the L.A. Auto Show 2007
This trend has been observed all over the world. According to BASF Coatings, approximately 30% of all cars in Europe and Asia are silver, followed by black and blue.
The UK and Poland have bucked the trend, however. In the UK, the preferred color is blue, while one out of four vehicles in Poland is painted brown.
In North America, one out of five cars is silver. The global trend toward silver is attributed to rental car agencies and purchasers of company car fleets, which prefer neutral colors.
BASF's statistics show that these colors are even more prominent in the upper price range. ‘So-called premium or luxury-class vehicles are traditionally less colorful,’ says Finkenzeller.
However, Finkenzeller observes that white is a very interesting color in this segment, especially considering that at fairs increasing numbers of cars in these classes are presented in shades of white, which piques both dealers’ and end consumers’ interest in and desire for this color. According to Finkenzeller, however, white will not be toppling silver’s dominance on the automotive market.
Magnificent Metals
There is a trend toward mixed shades that combine colors such as green, blue and gray. For instance, adding turquoise effects can lend blue a mysterious touch and subtle pearl gloss gives a pale greenish-gray a fascinating shimmer. Even silver is becoming more colorful.
Increasingly, blue, green or brown is being added to silver. Finkenzeller reports that the range of colors and effects presented by the new shades is often not revealed until the finish is exposed to just the right incident of light.
Copper metallics at the Detroit Auto Show 2007
She adds that other metallic colors will complement silver. Copper, bronze, gold and platinum will be giving car bodies a modern feel and a new pizzazz. BASF Coatings’ paint technologies offer more than just a colorful feast for the eyes. New surfaces ensure that the other senses are delighted as well.
Matte effect and soft touch evoke a haptic experience and a completely new point of access to the automobile as an icon for technology. At fairs, many of the visitors were observed touching the satin-finished surfaces of the cars.
Of course, for every trend there is a counter-trend. In contrast to matte clearcoat, there is also a trend toward special mirror effects and pure reflection.
The two extremes, however, are not mutually exclusive but open up new possibilities for combining materials, colors and surfaces in the automobile’s interior, as well as on its exterior.
Originally published in the Asia Pacific Coatings Journal (www.coatingsgroup.com), August 2007. Reproduced by kind permission. For further information, please contact Elit Kane by e-mail, at elitkane@dmgworldmedia.com, or by telephone, at +44 (0) 1737 855 328.
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