TM GLOBAL COLOR POPULARITY
Global Popularity & Trends Sustains its Popularity as Crossover Colors Emerge Neutrals led by silver remain the global color families choice for the fifth year in a row. In Europe and North America, the growth in the popularity of the neutrals - silver, gray, white and black - has leveled-off, but in Japan they are still on the rise. One reason for the continued popularity of silver is the introduction this past year of so many new models whose bold designs show well in this popular color choice. It has been perceived as a value color that evokes the notion of high technology. Chroma and Crossover Colors Presage Change Auto designers and stylists are beginning to see the showroom attraction of highchroma colors with the increase in the mainstream popularity of red, and even yellow as a niche color that has not been in the ranks of a top 10 color choice since 1992. and yellow are notice me colors that offer distinctive statements on sportier models and smaller crossover SUVs. And speaking of vehicle model crossovers, crossover will soon be a recognized term for new color spaces and a primary styling trend to watch. These colors will make the frontiers of a given color family less distinct and add interest to modern vehicle designs. Metallic silver will be refreshed with warm reds, light brown and cooler tints of green or blue with grays that offer deep reddish, blue, purple or green highlights. Even the true chroma colors will trend toward more subtle, but very modern crossover effects such as greens and blues in Europe, that will shift toward turquoise or teal. The rising interest in the Americas toward blue will get a boost from such styling and color formulation techniques. Consumer Demand and Future Trends Inspired by DuPont's involvement in fashion, home furnishings, automotive and other technology, we see certain shifts in color trends on the way. Shorter vehicle model runs will demand greater differentiation in color with the aid of new metallic or pearlescent color effects. Value will be perceived in both strong, high-chroma color statements and in more subtle crossover color techniques. The consumer is yearning for more variety along with the assurance of value in what they purchase. DuPont will be there, partnering with auto designers and stylists, to fulfill those desires with technology to make certain that the newest colors are a sought-after premium, and that all our finishes offer a significant contribution to longer lasting vehicle value and consumer satisfaction.
North America LUXURY 6.3% of market escent and metallic white remain strong as the combination of silver and gray has declined somewhat as the most popular color family. The big jump is in light brown metallics, from a 4% to 11% share. Medium reds also doubled in popularity. / 26% Lt. Brown 11% Others <1% Yellow/Gold 4% 9% Med. 9% 12% 12% COMPACT/SPORT 18.4% of market In this category, where strong colors and color effects are often popular, red continues to climb in popularity, challenging silver. in the third position is nearly tied with blue in fourth. Green has shown a slight resurgence in popularity as yellow has strengthened its position asa top 10 color. 20% Med./Dk. 8% Lt. Brown 9% Yellow 4% Green 4% 9% Other colors 3% INTERMEDIATE/FULL-SIZED 22.1% of market retains the number one position, holding at a 24 percent share, about even with 2003 statistics. No particular trend can be seen in the other colors in this conservative sector except for medium and bright reds that grew in popularity compared to the year before by 3 percentage points to 12% for 2004. 24% Lt. Brown Med./Dk. 11% 12% 6% 9% LT. TRUCK/SUVS 53.2% of market retains its top ranking, boosted by commercial vehicle sales, and silver has declined slightly to compared to over a year ago. Clean reds, black and elegant blues have maintained their popularity gains of a year ago, while light brown metallics have resin in popularity by 3 points to 9%. Yellow makes its first appearance as a top 10 color in this category. / 20% Lt. Brown 9% Med./Dk. 10% 12% 14% 12% Other colors 2% Other colors 1% South America/Brazil NORTH AMERICA OVERALL Yellow/Gold 2% OVERALL Green 3% Though it has begun to decline somewhat, silver still reigns as the most popular color. But color is on the rise. Both light metallic brown and blue have captured double-digit percentages in some vehicle categories and red continues to strengthen, partly due to the production of more intense reds using such solutions as tinted clears. Even if still at a niche level, yellow has become a top 10 color for certain compact and sports models as well as smaller SUVs. 18% / Med./Dk. 10% 14% 11% Lt. Brown 11% 11% After a major rise in the popularity of silver over white a year ago, it retains the top ranking at 31%. Brazil, the major car producing region, is favoring the neutrals with black increasing in popularity to 15% but still retaining its ranking as the fourth most popular color. Other colors have held their positions as well with yellow strengthening at the bottom of the top 10 ranking. 31% 15% 15% Lt. Brown 4% 7% 8% Other colors 2% N.A. percent of market sales provided by Wards Communications
Europe LUXURY/UPPER MODELS 5% of market still leads the category despite a slight decline of two percentage points. The clear winner is red which doubled its popularity in a sector which traditionally prefers subdued shades. Light brown entered the top 10 rankings at 1%, ousting its lighter shade counterpart. 32% 22% 14% Lt. Brown 1% / 4% 4% COMPACT/MINI/SPORT 24% of market Little change is seen in this group versus last year. is less popular here than in the larger models. Chroma tends to be stronger in this sector and in the mini group; duo-tones are being favored, often contrasting white with another color. The relatively high level of white (7%) can be seen particularly in Southern Europe and is taking on a sporty image. 31% 21% 12% Green 6% / 7% 14% 8% INTERMEDIATE 56% of market In many European countries, fleet cars dominate this sector. Here the neutrals, often the choice for business cars, are still holding up well and the stronger colors are showing a small decline. Brown enters the charts in fifth place with 8%, reflecting the changing image in Europe of this color as high-effect pigments enable more striking shades. 32% Yellow/Gold 2% 11% Green 2% / 6% 15% 7% Lt. Brown 8% VAN/MPV/TRANSPORTER 15% of market There seems to have been a dramatic move in this diverse sector with silver and gray rocketing from 22% to 31% and white dropping by over half. The resale value of white vehicles in Europe has become less favorable with the result that many more vehicles are now painted in other shades, often silver. Other color rankings remain relatively stable and show no overall trend change with the exception of the rise in black that now is tied for second place with white. / 30% 21% Lt. Brown 10% Green 3% 6% 7% 9% Asia/Japan EUROPE OVERALL Yellow/Gold <1% Green 2% OVERALL Others 5% and gray have peaked in popularity in line with other regions of the world. Light brown has emerged as a top 10 color at 6 percent. This trend is particularly visible in France. Very pale, pastel shades have captured a corner of the solid-color market, particularly on small vehicles. 33% Lt. Brown 6% Med./Dk. 11% 7% / 8% and gray now represent 37% of car sales in Japan. All neutral colors together (silver, gray, black and white) represent over 60% of the market. The only true chroma color of any consequence is blue which is stable at. All other colors have dropped in popularity. / 37% / Lt. Brown 2% Green 4% 9%
A Carousel of Colors - Freshening at each Turn nd 2004 marks the 52 year that DuPont has issued its authoritative color popularity report as a baseline for predicting the evolutionary change in color preferences and trends. Not only does DuPont report global and regional color popularity, but also breaks out distinctive consumer preferences by vehicle model type for the two largest consumer markets, Europe and North America. As the world leader in topcoat finishes, DuPont has led in expanding the palette of color and effects through technology to help automakers boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Whether cycles in the choice of the main color families change rapidly or slowly, DuPont finds ways to offer new value in aesthetics, durability and environmental performance that benefit our customers and the consumer alike. DuPont is now presenting its new Carousel of Colors trend show that features unique yet workable colors for vehicles that will debut as far out into the future as 2009. It Takes a Science Company to Keep the Wheels of Innovation Turning DuPont polymer scientists recently have earned a number of awards for their continuously-evolving, world-class coatings technology. These honors have included government and industry recognition for DuPont SuperSolids, SupraShield and ProTect technologies that increase coating s scratch and mar performance by 60 percent as paint application emissions are decreased by as much as 25 percent. A new technology for wet-on-wet application of two-tone colors earned DuPont the prestigious PACE Innovation Award from Automotive News and Cap Gemini Ernst and Young in 2004 as well as top customer honors. New plastics, unique surface materials, glass laminating products and a myriad of other materials technologies round-out the DuPont offering for aesthetic form and function.
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