Last Year's Popular Car Colors Were 'Blue and Red'... BASF Announces 2021 Car Color Trends

Monochrome Colors Dominate... Various Colors Popular
Green and Beige Maintain Steady Share

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] It has been found that blue and red were popular colors among car buyers last year. Green and beige showed steady market shares.

BASF Coatings Division announced on the 13th the "2021 Automotive OEM Coatings BASF Color Report," which analyzed global car production and the colors applied to vehicles.

Blue and red are colors that BASF designers predicted would rise in popularity several years ago. Additionally, green and beige colors, though in smaller proportions, also maintained steady shares.

Neutral colors such as white, black, gray, and silver remain the most popular. These colors possess a classic and timeless beauty and are associated with both the environment and advanced technology. However, the emergence of new colors has caused some shifts in market shares.

White is still the most popular color in the Asia-Pacific region but has seen a slight decline in popularity. Black and gray colors have steadily increased in popularity over the past four years, threatening the dominance of white. In 2021, 79% of all new cars produced in the Asia-Pacific region were coated in neutral colors.

The popularity of chromatic colors has remained stable, with some adjustments in the shares of certain colors. Among chromatic colors, blue, which is the most popular, increased globally as in other regions, partly taking over the share lost by red. Brown and gold showed significant shares, while beige, orange, yellow, green, and violet each held about 1% of the market share.

Chiharu Matsuhara, Head of Automotive Color Design Team for BASF Coatings Division Asia-Pacific, said, "The Asia-Pacific region, which has the highest car production volume in the world, saw an increase in the share of green hues along with a surge in blue." She added, "Colors such as turquoise, khaki, and olive are not typical green hues commonly seen, especially in SUVs."

The popularity of blue is waning in the North American region. Its share dropped by 4% compared to last year, returning to the preference level of 2017. Despite a global decline, neutral colors including white, which increased in North America, surged in popularity, while silver and gray both declined. Among chromatic colors, red's share rose by 1%, making red now tied with blue as the most popular chromatic colors.