Cars are half as colorful as they were 20 years ago

[ZonkerHarris]

https://ktla.com/news/cars-are-half-as-colorful-as-they-were-20-years-ago/
Only 20 percent of today’s cars are non-grayscale colors (white, black, gray, and silver) compared to 40 percent in 2004.

Highlights:

Grayscale colors (white, black, gray and silver) made up 80 percent of cars in 2023 compared to 60.3 percent in 2004

Gray gained the most market share since 2004, up 81.9 percent; followed by white gaining 77.4 percent; silver was the biggest grayscale loser, down 52.2 percent

Every other color lost share, with the biggest losers being gold (-96.8 percent), purple (-92.7 percent), brown (-86.5 percent), beige (-85.3 percent) and yellow (-75.7 percent)

This drop in diversity comes despite nearly the same number of colors being offered in 2023 versus 2004 – with an average of 6.7 colors per model today compared to 7.1 colors per model 20 years ago

Green is the only non-grayscale color to increase share in recent years, with a small improvement since 2020

Colorful cars continue to lose ground against the ever-dominant shades of white, black, gray, and silver – often referred to as grayscale colors.

In the 2004 model year, grayscale cars made up 60.3 percent of the market. Twenty years later, their share has moved to 80 percent, cutting the percentage of non-grayscale cars in half. Among these dominant shades, gray made the biggest move up, gaining 81.9 percent.

Silver was the biggest loser, dropping 52.2 percent.
more at link....

[cyclonefence]

1. I am surprised

that green was the only non-grayscale color to increase in popularity. I see many red cars on the road, more I think than green ones. Of course, my own car is red, and I might be falling victim to the same syndrome that makes you see pregnant women everywhere when you yourself are pregnant.

Interesting, and thanks.

[jimfields33]

4. I loved my dark green car in the 90's. I was disappointed when I couldn't get another since.

I’m glad it’s coming back. It’s my favorite color.

[cyclonefence]

7. My favorite car

(after my RED 1956 VW convertible, bought used for $100) was a 1962(?) BRG MGB-GT (bought used for $600). The car I'd really love to have today would be a Tesla in BRG. It's not going to happen; I don't buy from Nazis. But wait! you say. You bought a VW! Well, I loved the car, I could afford it, and I just didn't know any better.

[mitch96]

49. Love BRG. My buddy had a MG TD in BRG. A real head turner. I'm partial to Honda ketchup red.. nt

[csziggy]

85. My first car was an emerald green 1958 Buick Special

I've always wanted another car that color, but it hasn't been popular for a very long time. I hope green does come back - my husband's favorite color is green and the next time we buy him a car, I hope we can find a green one. He's had to suffer with a silver blue one for years now.

[Mossfern]

2. When I bought my car

there was very little choice unless I waited for a long time and ordered the "sports model." My car is a gray (yuck) Honda Civic and quite often I go to the wrong car in the parking lot because there are so many goddam gray Honda Civics!

I memorized my license plate and go by that.
I would LOVE a green car.

[happybird]

33. Had the same issue with my grey Corolla

Absolutely loved the car but finding it in a parking lot was a challenge. Not only the color but also the shape. Seems like 90% of the cars now have the same compact or crossover shape/silhouette.

[llmart]

75. I own a burgundy Honda Civic and have a funny story.

I came out of a grocery store, walked over to what I thought was my car because it was a burgundy Honda Civic, opened the driver's side door and there was a guy sitting at the wheel (I'm female). I was so embarrassed and the guy was sort of stunned at first. I apologized profusely and walked to my car which was only three spots down from where he was parked.

I think next time I buy a car I'll get something that's so different in color from all the rest that I can find it in a parking lot. Fortunately I'm a grey-haired old lady so I get a pass on these sorts of incidents (or at least I think I do).

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

78. I did almost that

I was wondering why the Trax I was aiming my fob at didn't unlock. Then I saw mine on the other side of that one. Same color, (black cherry) and generation.

That cars look alike these days doesn't help much.

[Mossfern]

81. I'm a silver haired

little old lady too!
It's amazing how one can become invisible at times, but also intimidating when necessary.
Love being me.

[Ocelot II]

3. Was out on an errand with a friend this morning, and we were noticing

that almost all the other cars on the road were either black, white, or some shade of gray or silver. My current car is turquoise, a color I chose quite intentionally because it's not black, white, or some shade of gray or silver. I can find it pretty easily in a parking lot among all the other cars which are not turquoise some other interesting color. I once had a Datsun B-210 that was kelly green, and I've also had a yellow Oldsmobile and a blue Ford. I have never had a black, white, or some shade of gray or silver car and I never will. Booooring!

But I will also not buy a urine-yellow Nissan Cube. That's a special kind of ugly - though it would also be easily located in a parking lot.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. I feel the same way

I just don't get it. I've driven forest green, red, navy blue, now bright blue. Someone told me that you mostly see grayscale cars on the lots because they're "least offensive". Buyers are unlikely to say "I refuse to drive a white (black, gray, silver) car."

[Arne]

54. Also had that Datsun, loved it.

Have a silver Santa Fe now.
No problems.

[Ocelot II]

57. This one?

[Arne]

58. That looks earlier.

She ran and ran. Fast agile fun.

[Ocelot II]

60. Mine was a '76. First new car I ever had.

Loved it, and loved the color!

[Arne]

61. Mine was a company perk.

One of a fleet for technicians.

[JanMichael]

73. So a piss yellow Camero is a no go?

That's what we called a friends Camero back in the mid80's. Sounds better after a few beers.

[lastlib]

5. And gray cars are harder to see on cloudy days and in fog.

Ditto white/silver.

Black cars can be hard to see at night, and so can dark red cars like mine.
Confession: every car I've owned since 1983 has been red......

[anciano]

6. Interesting data.

Cars have indeed become more homogeneous over the years, not only in color but also in style. Personally, I really miss the diversity and distinctiveness of cars during the 1950s and 1960s. To me that was the best of times for autos. (Pardon the diversion, just idle reminiscing on my part.)

[hunter]

87. Quite a few of those colors are no longer used because the pigments are toxic.

The changes were made to protect auto workers and neighborhoods where auto paint is applied.

[yagotme]

8. And that "new" look they've been doing...

Looks like plain old primer (rust/gray) with the shiny coating sprayed over it. BOOORINGGG.

[hatrack]

93. Yeah, I call it "Milk Gray", for lack of a better word . . .

Why did that become a popular color?

[yagotme]

95. I've been seeing are a mid to darkish gray also.

Muddy brown. I guess if you go off roading, you don't need to wash your vehicle...

[Ohio Joe]

9. I still drive my yellow '02 T-Bird

No plans on stopping either

[ZonkerHarris]

11. nice

[senseandsensibility]

10. My first car was burgandy

and now many years later my car is burgandy again after driving silver and white cars for decades. I've always loved burgandy in home decor and clothes as well. And our car stands out in the parking lot.

[Wednesdays]

18. Burgundy.

Those chaps who make Dijon mustard would be seeking your head.

[spooky3]

12. My Soul Red Mazda gets lots of compliments. it's the prettiest

Shade of red I’ve ever seen. A military officer once stopped me as I was leaving the grocery store and asked whether the police pulled me over frequently due to the color. I told him I didn’t speed too often.

[marked50]

24. Same hear. Beautiful red. Also lots of parking lot compliments. Have had the Mazda 6 for 8 years. n/t

[EarnestPutz]

30. Mazda's shade of red is really distinctive. Catches my eye all the time. Pretty.

[True Dough]

76. Agree with y'all

Red isn't my favorite car color, but Mazda really nailed it!

[mnhtnbb]

98. My son has a red Mazda.

It's a gorgeous shade of red and I am a fan of red cars.

[gibraltar72]

13. That is because

almost nobody orders a car built only for them. Back in the day you sat and ordered the car you wanted for you. Now dealers buy stock that wont offend anyone. You get bland colors and take a package off the lot. My wife comments every time we go past a new car lot how bland cars are.

[ZonkerHarris]

43. I bought my bright blue minivan brand new in stock off the lot. NY Giants blue.

[gibraltar72]

71. And I my Pearl red Traverse.

However look down the line.. Most are cars that won't offend someone. The exception are cars that will, but that is for specialty cars. The majority of cars they want Joe Average to buy are subdued colors.

[A_Woman_from_MI]

14. I first read this as

"Cats are half as colorful as they were 20 years ago" and I thought, "Yeah, mine are, but mostly have been over the course of many years and many cats..."

It was the "market share" sentence that puzzled me

But then after reflecting on the actual article, same with cars. I wonder in this case if buyers are narrowing the color market, or the market is dictating our preferences.

[yardwork]

37. I read it as cats, too!

[rogerballard]

15. Mine was a gold 71 Monte...

I miss that car

[marked50]

25. Lovely

[Bristlecone]

48. I had a 1970 Monte Carlo years ago

Bronze though with skirts. Same top.

[RubyRose]

101. I've owned two '70 Monte Carlos. I'd give anything to

have another for my daily driver.

[Wednesdays]

17. Cool. Now do the percentage of cars in 1930

When you could get a car in any color, as long as it was black.

[ZonkerHarris]

44. Henry Ford thinks this is okay.

[Rob H.]

19. It's just as bad among motorcycles, too

with Honda being the worst offender. They’ll release a model in colors like red, blue, yellow, white, and black, and which colors does the U.S. get? Black or white. The likelihood we’ll get the most boring color increases if it also has a matte top coat.

The most hilarious example was when they released the ADV 150 scooter to the US market a few years ago. Their marketing spiel was all about, “You like fun, right? Scooters are fun! Come have fun with Honda scooters! FUN!”

Globally, iirc, it was offered in red, yellow, white, silver, blue, and black. There were even official Honda decal kits to add Honda racing colors.

What color did the US get? Matte metallic black. Fun. Woo.

/rant

[mitch96]

53. I'm a big Honda MC fan. My 2005 ST 1300 was metallic red. The 2004 was dark blue and the 2003 was silver

Every year the same bike, maybe a few minor upgrades but a different color every year...
My '71 Honda CB350 was a dark metallic green with a gold "swoosh" on the side. A beauty but buzzed like hell. No my buddy's Ducati with a red and chrome tank was the bees knees...😁
Now I scoot around on my bland black e-bike...
m

[EarnestPutz]

20. We were in Europe twice recently (Germany and Portugal) and it's even more monochromatic.....

.......on that side of the pond. In Lisbon I actually took a picture of a red car because it had been weeks since I saw any car that wasn't black, white or silver.

[AllaN01Bear]

22. i reemember when the cars were all white . we put t shirts on the front seats to show that this car was ours.

[AllaN01Bear]

21. anything but black.

ive seen some very bright yellow cars that are so bright theyd probably get a speeding ticket whilst in the parking lot. also seen some orage cars and some lime green cars .

[dsc]

23. Mine is black

it was on the lot and there was a shortage but I also like the look of the basic black. My next one will be a color though if I can.

[walkingman]

26. I think they all look alike - SUV or trucks. Nothing more than transportation

poor styling - as far as colors..you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.

[marked50]

27. There may be another reason for the paucity of color of cars on the road.

I read somewhere that cars in non-grayscale colors are now costing more for the consumer from the manufacturer. I know I had to pay extra for my red Mazda and it was worth it. Don't know where I got that consumer information but it explained a lot as to why there are fewer colors on the road.

[captain queeg]

28. I noticed that awhile ago. And body styles don't really vary that much for the mainstream cars.

I have a 2015 civic I’d call grey, Some might say silver. I’ve tried to get into a few cars overs the years that look like mine, like a Corolla or Hyundai. I actually got into one one time before I realized my mistake. Another time I was trying to get into one and a woman came out of the cafe and asked “can I help you?” She was parked 2 spaces from mine and I was on auto pilot.

[ZonkerHarris]

45. used to have a metallic grey Civic and got mixed up in parking lots many times. Ubiquitous.

[A HERETIC I AM]

29. On my 3rd blue Vette in a row!

Blue cars forever!

My current ride, 2024 C8 “Riptide Blue Metallic”





The previous one;


2016 C7. “Night Race Blue Metallic”

The one before that;
2006 C6 “Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic”

[ZonkerHarris]

46. very cool

[mitch96]

55. ""Riptide Blue Metallic"" Now THAT is a beautiful car...Puts Ferrari to shame.. Love it in Red also...nt

[marybourg]

31. People are only 10% as colorful as they were 50 years,

with many wearing only black and grey. I went to a wedding where I was the only woman other than the bride not wearing black. Looked like a funeral or a coven.

[sakabatou]

32. Which is why my parents went for a color car

There's one which is pearl color, and once that one dies, they'll exchange it for another color.

[pecosbob]

34. In Las Vegas all paint colors burn out in a matter of years...only white survives.

[sinkingfeeling]

35. I loved the cars of the 50s and 60s. Yellow, turquoise, blue, and green.

I also detest all of today's furniture. Same colors: white, gray, taupe, and more gray.

[Bayard]

36. My '97 dually truck is teal colored

I walked on the lot back then, and fell in love. My favorite color. My horse trailer trim was painted to match. Mr. Bayard's Toyota truck is bright red. We look like xmas.

To me, all cars look alike now, both the colors and the styles. All boring little SUV's.

[Brother Buzz]

38. Another paint trend I've noticed recently

I'm starting to see solid color paint with no metallic flake additives.

Pretty striking to see. That is, until it becomes common.

FWIW, light grey cars hide dirt better in the Sacramento Valley than any other color. That's a fact, Jack!

[blogslug]

67. Like putty?

Hank Green has things to say about that:

[Lars39]

70. They look like some home decor

and baby items.

[Brother Buzz]

89. A coat of paint can turn a vehicle into a subliminal chick car?

Who woulda thunk?

[Lars39]

90. Hope yet for the Pacer!

[Captain Zero]

103. Champagne /gold hides dirt best

Imho

[rsdsharp]

39. Guilty. My current car is "Sonic Silver."

What makes it “sonic” is beyond me. It doesn’t make any noise that I can detect.

[doc03]

40. They are the cheapest colors to make, they charge several hundred dollars

extra for some colors.

[Emile]

41. When did two-tone vehicles become unpopular?

I had a a two-tone red and dark metallic gray Chevy pickup back in 1989 that everyone thought was really sharp.

[CanonRay]

42. My 65 Chevy was Evening Orchid

A very pretty light purple

[Liberal In Texas]

47. When you spend a ton of money on a car you don't want to get sick of some bright yellow or neon orange or

something. One figures they'll have to be looking at the thing for a very long time and the color should be pretty unobtrusive.

[PatSeg]

83. True

But now most of the cars I see all look alike. Almost everyone who comes to visit us has the same dark grey SUV. It is hard sometimes to know who is here.

I miss cars that had color and individuality.

[a kennedy]

50. I'm so happy my white SUV has black door knobs and mirrors or I would never

find it in a parking lot. They’ll be like 5 - 6 white cars parked side by side and I swear if my car didn’t have those black accents, i’d never find it.

[Demovictory9]

51. I saw a beautiful brown car today..brand new range rover?

[GenThePerservering]

52. I keep reading that as

"Cats are half as colorful as they were 20 years ago"

::Looks at my two grayscale cats::

(Our car is dark red - like many many many late 90s/early oughts Subarus).

[Silent3]

56. The last time I bought a new car (2019), I was disappointed in the limited range of colors available

Last edited Sun Jun 16, 2024, 01:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Even if I were willing to pay more for some of the "premium" options not much inspired me. I went with a shade of blue I kind of like, but wasn't incredibly enthusiastic about.

I don't like black, white, or most shades of red as car colors.

I prefer colors in the blue/green range, but I'm picky, so it's not too surprising the standard options don't generally appeal to me.

I do like some of the metallic gray color range frequently offered these days for some models, more the cool grays than the warm grays.

I'd actually consider a vividly yellow car, as long as it were a true, solid, vibrant and saturated yellow, not pastel yellow or Tonka truck yellow or "school bus yellow", the latter being more a shade of orange than yellow as far as I'm concerned.

[ZonkerHarris]

86. I like your thinking there

[Celerity]

59. love this colourway

[yellowdogintexas]

62. I had been noticing more blue cars over the past few years

beautiful rich Democrat blue. My new car is that color.
I swore I would not get any grayscale colors, since every car I have driven has been either white or some shade of gray.

I swore I would not ever get another grayscale car!!! I was so bored with those colors I could scream . If I could not find anything else, I might have settled for a nice rich cream color; or red, but I love the blue

[NBachers]

63. I'm going to buck the trend and state that I intentionally bought my '24 Corolla in the most blend-in grey I could find.

1. Let others drive the cop bait while I'm indistinguishable from everyone else.

2. It reduces the chance of anyone picking me out to carjack me.

3. It's a leftover from my days running contraband and blending in with the crowd. Invisible was the word of the day.

[Captain Zero]

104. Ah the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

nt

[Wonder Why]

64. We need to go back to early days when Henry Ford reportedly said that you could have any color as long as it is black

[ZonkerHarris]

66. i love color.

[Polybius]

65. Here's mine

[MurrayDelph]

68. My first Prius was British Racing Green

I needed to replace my car that week. My previous car had a stick shift, which had become intolerable driving the LA freeways riding a clutch, using the leg that eventually needed a knee replaced (after ten years of putting it off). And my registration was about to expire and I didn't want to pay renewals on a car that was going to be replaced.

So, I contacted a couple of Toyota dealers. The one that had a car with the features I wanted at a price I was willing to pay and offered me a decent trade-in price only had it in that shade of green. So I took it, even though I considered it the lowest option on the acceptable color wheel. Ironically, I had two friends who had the same model, and that shade of green was their first choice. But that's what makes horseracing.

Eight years and 175k miles later, I had to buy in a hurry because the hybrid batteries on my car had died (they didn't have the aftermarket they do now) and my wife was leaving for her scheduled volunteer trip the following week. I contacted MANY dealerships, found a new Prius near where I was working at the time (I would be laid off the following week, which wasn't so bad as I hated that job and the new car wouldn't be able to drive solo in the carpool lane). Acceptable price. No trade-in value. And it was dark gray.

Ten years and 187k miles later, Prius had a noisy AC fan, but I mostly got rid of it because rats had decided to live in it at night. I was not in a rush, so I finally got a car the color I wanted, which was silver. Silver has since become somewhat cliche, but I still like it better than any of the options currently being offered.

[jmowreader]

69. When I bought mine in 2020...

I was told VW divided Tiguan production into quarters

25 percent black
25 percent white
25 percent silver
25 percent all the colors they make

Mine is red.

They had to bring mine in from University VW in Seattle. The dealer called me the day it arrived in a rush: hey, you better get here quick, three other people have tried to buy it. When I got there, there was a big sign someone made and stuck in the driver’s door window: This is already sold, don’t sell it again.

They were able to get five others. All went out the day they came in.

[maxrandb]

72. Noticed this when we were recently car shopping

Went to a dealership and almost every car was black, or white. My bride commented; "this must be like car shopping in Russia, you can choose white, or black, but for something special, we have grey".

Don't get me started on trying to find a standard transmission.

I miss my canary yellow Datsun pick-up. Granted, some say it was "puke yellow", but I always said canary yellow.

[MineralMan]

74. My cars are both base models.

I discovered that base trim cars generally are only available in a few colors. My first KIA Soul was black. The next one was white. My Chevy Trax is white. Why? Because those were the colors of the only base trim cars on the lot the day I bought them. That's how much I care about what color my car is.

[Shermann]

77. It's probably the same philosophy as neutral interior paint colors on houses

Neutral colors for the masses! A negative reaction to a vivid color will be more negative than a positive reaction is positive. So don't lose a sale over an eye-popping paint color.

Most people buy vehicles from dealer inventories instead of special ordering them. I'd expect splashier colors with special orders.

[samnsara]

79. I loved my yellow Ford Escape.. I could always find it

in a parking lot

[Ron Green]

80. I've got to remind us all that owning and driving a car is one of the worst things we can do.

There! Now this thread belongs in GD, rather than the Lounge.

[hunter]

82. A carton of spray paint, a few rolls of masking tape, you can have any colors you like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_car

[usedtobedemgurl]

84. Was doing a test drive at Porsche two weeks ago.

Most of the cars on the lot were gray scale but their most popular color was almost a military green. They said they could not keep it in stock!

[ZonkerHarris]

88. people like variety

[usedtobedemgurl]

91. Yes, they do. NT

[hurl]

92. Yeah I fell in line

I recently bought a non-metallic "Brooklyn Gray" car. Luckily it has a distinctive and sporty shape, plus being a rare make in my rural area, so I can always easily locate it in the parking lot. But I actually like the color and prefer to keep it 'under the radar' so it doesn't attract as much attention and also reduces the 'flexing' image the brand often evokes.

Grayscale colors don't seem to fade as much over time or show dirt as easily, so there's that going for them, for those of us lazy about washing cars frequently.

But I do remember one of my favorite cars my parents had when I was growing up was a burgundy Oldsmobile 88 from the 60s. I definitely enjoy seeing color on the road, even if my own car is more of a blend.

[ZonkerHarris]

94. I had a blue Olds in '89 that I still love so much. Miss that car.

[WarGamer]

96. and twice as expensive.

2004 F-150 starting MSRP $19,975

2024 F-150 starting MSRP $36,875




2004 Toyota Corolla starting MSRP $13,570

2024 Toyota Corolla starting MSRP $22,050



2004 Honda Civic starting MSRP $13,010

2024 Honda Civic starting MSRP $23,950

[mnhtnbb]

97. I have been driving red cars

Last edited Mon Jun 17, 2024, 06:02 AM - Edit history (2)

for almost 40 years and only one -- a Jeep Cherokee --was new in 1988 and more burgundy than red. Every car since then I've bought pre owned and deliberately searched for red. I flew to Dayton, OH in 2009 to purchase a 2007 red BMW station wagon and drove it home to NC. Loved that car! And when I had to replace it in 2019, I was able to find a red 4 door sedan at a local dealership.

I've owned a car for over 50 years and my two favorites were that red BMW wagon and a red BMW convertible.
If I live long enough to purchase another car, it will be red.



For the convertible:

https://images.app.goo.gl/wgSkLxdrpoyv3LURA

[pwb]

99. The newer gray is the color of many roads. Without daytime

running lights they are hard to see. I always went with a color over blah.. My car today is Cavalry Blue.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

100. Look at movies from the '60s and '70s. Parking lots are as colorful as a box of crayons.

[ZonkerHarris]

105. true

[Captain Zero]

102. Green was bad for resale/trade value

Years ago. That's why people didn't buy green cars then.

Maybe that has changed?

[ZonkerHarris]

106. I had a forest green Chevy Blazer for many years. loved that color.