Clinton Township, Michigan, USA – 9 January 2018: Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA) today released the findings of its 65th annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, which shows white as the worldwide leader in consumer vehicle colour choice in 2017, followed by black in second place at 16 percent, and grey and silver tied in third place for the second consecutive year at 11 percent. 

Axalta’s 2017 Color Popularity report also found:

• Worldwide: Building on white’s number one position, a trend has developed of pearl colours sparkling on luxury vehicles. White pearl hues increased four percent in 2017.
• Africa: Up three percentage points, grey enters double digits at 11 percent.
• Asia: White dominates and is the choice on 52 percent of vehicles sold in the region. China has the highest usage of white anywhere at 62 percent. Japan uses more pearlescent white hues at 28 percent.
• Europe: At 20 percent, grey is more popular in Europe than in any other region. 
• North America: Blue is gaining popularity, especially in the compact/sport segment where it rose six percentage points to total 16 percent.
• Russia: The top colour, white, increased from 28 to 32 percent, while silver is also up three percentage points.  
• South America: Grey is the rising star in South America moving from eight percent to 11 percent.

“With its modern appeal, white continues to be the top seller worldwide,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Global Color Marketing Manager. “Pearlescent whites gained four percent in popularity this year as this multi-coat colour is used on all segments and has the highest usage in Japan. Overall, light and bright colours continue to gain strength as light grey and light to medium shades of blue have increased interest in the market."

Published annually since 1953, Axalta’s report is the automotive industry’s longest running and most comprehensive colour account. It’s compiled and designed by Axalta’s colour experts around the globe to provide OEMs fascinating and relevant insights into consumer preferences to help them make informed colour decisions.

“Automotive colour evolves over time,” says Elke Dirks, Axalta Automotive OEM Color Designer, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Recently, blue has been trending in various versions from highly chromatic shades to light metallic colours, and grey has been on the rise as the next competing neutral.”

“White is the undisputed number one, but the story does not end there,” said Annie You, Axalta OEM Color Designer, China. “Our customers value the subtle trends the report unveils. For instance, buyers in India prefer silver more than any other region at an amazing 30 percent. Overall, more white vehicles are produced in China than any other region, of which 47 percent are solid white and 15 percent pearl white.”  

“Axalta’s annual colour initiatives, which include this Popularity Report, our annual Color Collection and the Automotive Color of the Year are beneficial to car manufacturers who are interested in using these insights to innovate,” said Lockhart. “In addition, Axalta has more than 150 years of expertise with an international team of designers and scientists that are solely focused on the fusion of technology and design.”

For more information on Axalta’s Global Automotive 2017 Color Popularity Report, please visit axalta.com/color.

About Axalta Coating Systems 

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 13,300 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.com and follow us @Axalta on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Global Automotive2017 Color Popularity Report