Why the colour of a car is important

So many colours, and only one you can choose

I've never been there, but I can only imagine the agony of choice you face when you need to pick the colour for a new car. In a world where 50% of the cars are either silver (23%), white (15%), or black (12%), one may ask why our cars are so gray. Is it because we want to blend in? Does the majority of people actually prefer neutral colours?

It is maybe due to heritage. Indeed, when Ford produced the successful Model T in the beginning of the 20th century, all cars were painted black and Henry Ford's quote "A customer can have a car painted any colour he wants as long as it's black" became famous. But why black?

The automobile industry was booming, at a rate of 9'000 to 10'000 cars per day, therefore manufacturing needed to go quickly. As a matter of fact, the colour black absorbs more light and dries faster. B​ut it was only after the Great Depression that we started seeing cars painted in brighter colours. This shows that the economic stability of a country really has an effect on the way consumers choose the colour of their cars. For example, it's in the 50's, a prolific period for the United States, that we started seeing pink Cadillac Eldorados, or teal Chevrolet Bel Airs. It also seems that there were some decades that were more colorful than others. In the 60's and 70's, Porsche offered some of the wildest colours on its cars like Signal Orange, or Conda Green. This may have had something to do with the "flower power" fashion and its wild colours that were basically everywhere. But what about today? How do people choose their colours? Why is it important for some, and not for others? Here are some of the key categories that might explain a bit better the behavior consumers have towards colours and their cars.

Personalization

For some people, lively colours are part of their lifestyle. Look at Lapo Elkann, the heir of the Agnelli family, wears bright red suits and it works pretty well. In the beginning of the 2000's, more and more manufacturers started developing personalization programs. From Mini to Ferrari, people wanted to drive a car that resembles them. Manufacturers understood this trend pretty well, and this was a new opportunity for them to make their customers happier, and make more money. For example, Mercedes-Benz's Sunbeam Yellow cost about $15'000, or the price of a brand new Fiat 500, but that's the price for being different, I guess. For collectors, it has become part of the game to get a car with a unique configuration, or special colours, that will be hardly replicable for other customers. Some will go the extra-mile, like tech entrepreneur Justin Choi who asked Ford to paint his GT in a unique $100'000 colour-shifting Mystiochrome paint job. That's the beauty of personalization, it can make you stand out.

Fashionability

Sometimes, it's just a matter of what is fashionable, or not. Remember when Paris Hilton used to drive a pink Bentley Continental? Well, it might not be to everyone's taste, but she chose this colour because she wanted the car to be perceived as something fashionable. On a more serious note, these last couple of years, we have seen a resurgence of the colour green. There is even a hashtag and a successful Instagram account about it "Make Green Great Again". Social media is a great way to see what people think of this and that, and it has a direct influence on the choices consumers make. For example, if an influencer starts saying that lime green is the new black, you will find a greater proportion of people who will consider this colour for their next car. Car manufacturers have understood this, and will often spend a lot of time and resources to find the right colours for their newest cars. In fact, the launch colour is extremely important as it reflects what colour the company thinks their car looks better in. But it's also a matter of markets, and statistically we don't all like and dislike the same colours. For example, in China, less than 1% of consumers will choose the colour blue, while in Europe nearly 10 % will. This has to do with what we associate these colours with, and sometimes it's negative. People are mostly risk averse, and that's why most of the colours chosen are neutral.

Collectibility

A special car in a unique colour will most probably become sought after and become highly collectible. Some cars will even be more expensive if they have a rare colour, and that's what collectors are looking for. Even if the colour is not pretty, at least it's not boring, therefore interesting. Just like liveries, some colours have become iconic like BMW's Estoril Blue, Ferrari's Rosso Corsa, or Aston Martin's Silver Birch. These colours have been so strongly attached to the history of the car manufacturer that some collectors only look for cars in this exact colour. So, the paint of a car is absolutely important, and especially for collectible cars. Repainting it may have a strong negative impact on the value of the car, so even if it's ugly, the original colour can make all the difference and give the car more personality.

Here was a brief history about cars and colours. I must say that I am a huge fan of special colours and shades that pop out of the ordinary. Some colours can bring out the car's true character, and enhance its beauty. But what about you? Is colour important for you? Do you just want something neutral for your daily drives? Or is colour a way for you to express yourselves?

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