Rising tide of black against white in automotive colors: BASF Color Report

Achromatic colors, as the foundation of automotive color, are experiencing a significant shift.

Although white continues to be the most popular color for light passenger vehicles, it has seen a notable decrease in market share. In contrast, black has surged in popularity.

Meanwhile, chromatic colors have remained stable.

Car buyers from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) shifted away from lighter colors of white and silver, to darker shades of black and gray. Premium cars had more effects pigments than entry and mid-price classes, showing the depth and creativity of color.

Country-specific preferences on colors are observed. Germany loves blue (11%), Spain and the UK prefer red and orange (approximately 9%), France adores green (6%), and Italy shows its love for all the colors, with its share of chromatic colors being the largest among all five countries (30%).

Consumers from North America moved in a lighter direction, often with shades of silver, after automakers retired several gray colors.

Blue is the most popular chromatic color in North America. The region also had the highest share of red cars compared to other regions in 2023.

In Asia Pacific, the share of chromatic colors was slightly up compared to 2022. The popularity of natural colors increased, especially green. Lighter colors became more popular, especially light grayish colors and silver.

Part of the reason Asia Pacific is more diverse in color is for the great variation of body types. Fresh shades can be seen in New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) especially more green and purple-influenced colors.

Chiharu Matsuhara, head of automotive color design for Asia Pacific, pointed out that new automakers in Asia wanted something bold and creative on their new designs, and young consumers appreciated those colors.

South America historically has a conservative approach to colors, with a huge portion of achromatic colors in 2023.

With that kind of market, more automakers are choosing effects pigments to make the achromatic colors stand out. More cars were delivered with effects pigments in all body sizes compared to 2022.