New challenges put a sharper point on popularity of automotive colour

In 2021, the automotive industry faced new challenges that it had never faced before. The total number of vehicles built on the world’s assembly lines in 2020 and 2021 was significantly lower than the years before. That put a sharper point on the popularity of certain colour spaces in the BASF Color Report 2021 for Automotive OEM Coatings, while knocking some perennial favourites down a few points.

The achromatic colours – white, black, grey, and silver – are still the most popular through their connection to the environment and technology, but new colour spaces are emerging.

As predicted by BASF’s designers years ago, blue and red are improving in popularity. Even though the numbers are smaller, green and beige still show up in the data, and the colours aren’t the typical shades you might expect.

EMEA – Greater diversity of chromatic colours and shades

The share of chromatic colours in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is now over 27 per cent and rising – the highest it’s been in two decades.

Blue is driving the trend among the chromatics. There are currently nearly 180 shades of blue that are elegant, fresh, and young, and appear on all body types in all segments. Red is in second place, far behind blue, accompanied by a fair share of shades of green.

For the achromatic colours, white is still the most popular, but grey is catching up. Grey has several options, with effects and textures that multiply its presence. Gray’s 160 shades range from elegant, dark, sparkling colours to light and sporty solid colours.

Mark Gutjahr, Head of Automotive Color Design, EMEA, said: “Colours designed for EMEA use familiar colour positions, but change them with the help of new effects, subtle colour gradients, or a specific sparkle behaviour. They make the chromatics stand out as bold expressions of individuality and sportiness, gaining popularity each year.”

The BASF Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings is a data analysis from BASF's Coatings division based on global automotive production and paint application to light vehicles in 2021.