Shifting hues in global automotive colors: Embracing the rising popularity of warm niche colors

In 2024, the global automotive color landscape continued to evolve as consumers move away from traditional favorites like white and silver. This shift is paving the way for increased popularity of vibrant hues, warm neutrals, and a more diverse palette across the industry, as stated by BASF Coatings in the latest Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings.

Specifically, while white remains the top choice among consumers, warm shades such as yellow and beige are increasingly appealing, and green has risen in popularity across all regions. Achromatic colors like black and gray are also gaining traction.

EMEA: Beige gains popularity as achromatic colors continue steady growth

Achromatic colors in the EMEA region have steadily increased from 72% in 2021 to almost 80% in 2024, underscoring the appeal of neutral tones.

White remains the most favored color, closely followed by gray. Notably, beige is gaining popularity, nearly doubling its market share.

“Beige and neutral colors evoke a sense of calm and sophistication, reflecting the desire for stability in a fast-paced world,” said Mark Gutjahr, global head of Automotive Color Design at BASF. “They allow consumers to express their individuality while ensuring a timeless elegance in automotive design.”

Americas: Gray is proving to be one of the most versatile and captivating colors

With its vast range of tones, from cool metallics to warm, earthy shades, gray offers depth and sophistication that can be surprisingly vibrant. This year’s color distribution reveals a striking shift toward gray tones, now capturing almost 20% of the total market share. Black has dropped by 2 percentage points compared to 2023, while white cars have seen an even more significant decline of 5 percentage points.

“Gray is redefining automotive style, gaining popularity for its versatile sophistication as preferences shift away from traditional white and black,” said Victoria Fislage, Senior Design Manager at BASF Coatings.

Asia Pacific: Black dominates, yellow blossoms

Achromatic colors remain the top choice for 83% of consumers, with black gaining 2 percentage points in popularity, reinforcing its association with elegance. In contrast, white has seen a decline of over 2 points.

Meanwhile, chromatic colors, particularly yellow, are on the rise, with softer tones like pastel and greige yellow leading the way. These shades resonate with themes of AI-human harmony and sustainability, especially in electric vehicle design. Those are reflecting a shift toward harmonious, optimistic color palettes.

“Earthy and pastel yellows capture today’s values – functionality, sustainability, and coexistence with nature,” said Chiharu Matsuhara, head of Automotive Color Design for Asia Pacific.

The Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings by BASF Coatings offers an in-depth exploration of color trends in the automotive industry, analyzing preferences on both global and regional levels. The color distribution referred to in the report was calculated by BASF Coatings on the basis of the available information regarding global automotive production and paint application to passenger cars.

About BASF’s Coatings division

The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2023, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €4.4 billion.

Solutions beyond your imagination – Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com.
 

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

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