And the most popular colour is

While 2006 may be a silver year for car colour, the future may not be quite so clear cut, according to PPG Industries.
Blues, browns, and greens are expected to infuse themselves into silvers to create a new look for the next few years.
Current survey results from PPG Industries show silver as the dominant colour choice for North American model cars in 2006 and also as the most popular colour in all vehicle segments with the highest share (29 per cent) in the luxury segment.
“Silver remains number one, but it’s evolving beyond the old parameters,” said Jane E. Harrington, manager, colour styling, automotive coatings for PPG. “We’re going to see more graphite hues and silver will shift to become a more complex colour with subtle undertone tints of brown, blue, green and gold.
“Silver is going to remain popular. It’s a preferred hue because it defines character lines and features on the exterior of a vehicle better than a darker colour,” Harrington said. “But blue is going to start grabbing some of silver’s market share. Both pure tones and light values of blue are going to be strong, emerging colour trends within the next few years.”
So if silver is number one, what was the number two colour? Black? Red?
Sorry, it was white, with a 16 per cent share, holding steady from last year. Black and red both came in for third place at 13 per cent popularity with blue at 12 per cent.
Naturals, which include light metallic beige, copper, orange and brown, also came in at 12 percent. Green captured 7 percent and niche and specialty colours accounted for 3 percent.
There is a raft of new colours planned for 2009 and 2010. In fact the PPG Global Design and Colour Marketing team of colourists drawn from around the world, has created 110 new concept colours for car manufacturers to consider.
Harrington said she believes brighter colours are working their way back after years of silver, black and white dominating the popularity charts.
 So what are the hot picks from PPG?
• Blue: The colour blue will increase in
 popularity, with updated rich classic
 blues featuring sparkle effects for a unique
 iridescence and some shades featuring
 green and red casts. Medium-valued blues
 with silver highlights also add new
 dimension to the palette.
• Green: Nature-inspired textures and
 patterns will expand the range of greens,
 especially with continued consumer interest
 in the environment and “green” products.
 The colour will be enhanced with a light,
 almost translucent hue on one end of the
 spectrum, while a combination of green
 with brown will create a new dark khaki on
 the other.
• Naturals: The metallic looks seen in fashion,
 packaging and product design are strong
 influences on the natural colour family.
 Medium values will showcase subtle tones   of copper and bronze, while special-effect
 pigments will help create contemporary
 and luxurious browns influenced by wood
 and leather products.
• Red: This classic colour palette will be
 highly influenced by interior design, resulting
 in deep burgundies and bright, saturated
 reds. With new effect pigments, the depth
 and brilliance of red can be expanded.
• Neutrals: Comprised of silvers, blacks and
 whites, the neutral family has strong ties to
 fashion. Blacks with metallic effects will be
 the new focus. Tonal whites and pearl
 colours will continue to become established.
 Silvers will continue to develop with the
 addition of metallic flake and effect
 pigments, while a move to darker graphite
 colours with slight tints of brown and green
 will add new interest.
Recognising that consumers yearn for the latest in technology in all aspects of their lives, PPG is turning to a more technology-focused, trend-infused showcase, inventing colours that show complexity under different lighting.
“Aluminium flakes continue to be a major component of new colours due to their brightness and size variety. They allow us to formulate colours with exceptional travel and remarkable effect,” said Jerry R. Koenigsmark, manager of colour design, North America, automotive coatings for PPG.
In addition to identifying automotive colour trends, PPG also helps define trends for aerospace, aftermarket, architectural, general industry, glass and trade sale products.     n

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