Silver tops car colours
05 January 2003: Silver was the biggest-selling car colour in 2002, with one third of vehicles produced in the US, Europe and Japan rolling out of showrooms in the shiny glint.
According to the world's leading manufacturer of car paint, PPG Industries in Pittsburgh, USA, the technology orientation of consumers in these markets was responsible for the silver preference.
The preference for silver and other neutral shades continues to grow, exceeding white in North America and blue in Europe, and matching the long-standing popularity of white in Japan for the 2002 model year.
Advances in coatings technology have also helped to drive silver's popularity, by generating a wide spectrum of special effects and appearances.
Europe led the regional preference for silver, with 40 per cent of cars produced, compared to 35 per cent in Japan and 22 per cent in North America. White was the most popular second favourite in Japan at 35 per cent, while blue was the second place choice of 19 per cent of buyers in Europe. Some 16 per cent of North American buyers plumped for white.
White was the least popular of the 'straight' colours in Europe, at just 6 per cent, while green was the least popular in both North America (8 per cent) and Japan (2 per cent).
PPG surveyed approximately 22 automakers from around the world to compile its 2002 color trend data.