Black Gained Popularity in Automotive Color Wheel

In trend research released last fall, BASF stated that the traditional automotive color wheel was going through a transformation. The recently released 2023 BASF Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings provides hard data to back up that trend.

Achromatic colors, which have always formed the foundation of automotive color, are experiencing a significant shift. While white continues to hold its position as the most popular color for light passenger vehicles, it has seen a notable decrease in market share. In contrast, black has surged in popularity, gaining market share at the expense of white.

Consumer preferences also vary across different regions. For example, in North America, there is a growing preference for lighter shades of silver over darker grays, while in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the trend leans toward darker shades. 

Meanwhile, chromatic colors have remained stable, with no significant changes in their total market share (19%). This category includes a range of colors such as blue, red, brown, and beige, which continue to maintain their popularity among customers.

Like EMEA, achromatic colors in North America – white, black, silver and gray – gained two percentage points overall. Consumers moved in a lighter direction after automakers retired several gray colors. Those were often replaced with shades of silver.

North America also had the highest share of red cars compared to other regions in 2023. However, red was not able to beat blue as the most popular chromatic color in North America.

“We’re experiencing the same shift that other regions are seeing,” said Elizabeth M. Hoffmann, color designer for North America. “The old standard color palette no longer applies. Lighter shades are getting more popular, taking market share from gray.  More and more choices have effects pigments to give them intensity and excitement.”