- Annual BASF reports highlights green as an emerging car-colour.
- White and black still dominate in Asia Pacific, but grey tones are popular.
- Blue and red continue to decline year after year.
New Zealand car buyers are famously wedded to boring colours like black and white. The bad news is that's not really changing, at least according to the annual BASF Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings, which breaks down paint preferences by market and highlights trends.
The report is published at the start of each year and combines a look back at the previous 12 months, also predicting what manufacturers might focus on in the year to come.
The good news is that chromatic colours are making moves in the Asia Pacific region, especially green. Last year's report highlighted yellow as a hue to watch, but green has rapidly overtaken that, coming out of nowhere to account for 3% of the market.
No, that's not exactly a takeover. White is in decline but remains the top choice at 36% (38% last year), while black and silver remain stable at 23% and 8% respectively. Gray is also popular (18%), partly thanks to the variety of shades available.
But according to the report: "Green is steadily gaining popularity among chromatic colours, while blue has dipped slightly. Green’s range now spans from light, fresh tones to more traditional, natural shades, reflecting a shift toward sustainable and renewal-focused palettes."
"Though the overall share of chromatic colours has decreased, the variety of hues still demonstrates the preference for individuality in Asia Pacific," says Chiharu Matsuhara, head of BASF Automotive Color Design for Asia Pacific. "In our past trend forecast, we have introduced a solid-like gray with subtle colour interference and highlighted an urban nuance green for adaptability. Today, gray strengthens while green expands across the region."
Which car colours are popular worldwide?
The global colour picture "reflects a clear shift toward individuality and nature-inspired aesthetics as consumers continue to move away from traditional favorites," says the report.
Green also emerges as the strongest growing chromatic colour worldwide, continuing its steady rise and making it into the top three, led by blue and red.
Once dominant, both colours decline year after year. Blue drops by one percentage point and red sees an even steeper decrease, making up only 3% of the total market share. This defines a "clear retreat from classic chromatic norms" says BASF.