Any Color You Like, As Long As It's White

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

For the third consecutive year, consumers around the world prefer to paint their world in white when they shop for their chariot of choice.

The Detroit Free Press reports that data gathered by Pittsburg, Penn.-based PPG Industries shows the color of snow, clouds and canvas is popular among one in every four car purchasers, continuing a streak that began three years earlier when the shade knocked silver off the top of the mountain after a decade-long dominance. In North America, the color has 21 percent of the color market, while black, gray and silver hold a collective 41 percent.

Of course, so much white can cause one to go snowblind after a time. Thus, consumers in the United States are also looking over various shades of red and blue (unless its a minivan; gold and beige still rule the lot there). Over in Southeast Asia, Chinese and Korean consumers can expect to color their world in sparkling shades of pink, purple, gold, and more traditional colors.

For those who can’t get enough of the No. 1 best color in the world however, PPG’s manager of color styling, Jane Harrington, has some encouraging words to offer:

We see growth in the variety of whites being offered to consumers. There are pearly whites for luster, crisp whites, creamy ones and degrees of sparkle and light.

The coatings manufacturer will unveil their latest creations in November, though most automakers will select up to 20 hues for their color palates; you can bet on at least four to be white, black, gray and silver, as usual.

Photo credit: Ben/ Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

More by Cameron Aubernon

Comments
Join the conversation
5 of 73 comments
  • J.Emerson J.Emerson on Oct 23, 2013

    I always thought the biggest downside to white was its tendency to show scrapes and dings more than any other color. A blue, black, or grey car will hide parking lot rash better; every small piece of contrasting paint brushed off on a white car sticks out like a sore thumb. White cars also tend to show stone chips on the front much worse than other cars.

    • DenverMike DenverMike on Oct 23, 2013

      @J.Emerson - You don't see dings, necessarily. But the distorted reflection gives them away. And white paint shows dings and small dents the least. Black shows them the most. On white paint, I'll fool the eye by taking the shine off a ding. 1000 grit will do or just a scouring pad. You can clearly see the dull/matte finish if you look directly at it, but it blends in if not. Especially if it's non metallic/pearl. If it's just gloss white, sprayed on touch-up can blend in enough.

  • Quentin Quentin on Oct 24, 2013

    Purchased 4 new cars with my wife. Creamy white, bright white, pearl white x2. My favorite was the Candy White on my GTI. Looked so nice with those anthracite painted then machined-face 18" huff wheel, factory aero kit, and the big black grille w/ red accents.

  • Wodehouse Wodehouse on Oct 24, 2013

    It's ironic that the going thing is to make a car look more drab by using matte colors like the old paint primers we used on cars back in the 1970s! I wish two-tones would make a comeback. When GM cars were of the "Sheer Look" their 2 color paint jobs were nice. Two-toning would do wonders for Audi's boring, flat , greyscale sedans.

  • Vulpine Vulpine on Oct 24, 2013

    There is only one reason I will ever purposely buy white--ok, two. * To immediately tell the dealer to re-paint it the color of my choice--no matter WHAT that color is... * If it already has colorful highlighting in something other than black or red.

Next