With any economic downturn, we see lots of negative trends start. One trend that gets my blood boiling on a regular basis is the overwhelming amount of monochromatic cars on the road. Next time you’re out driving, pay attention to the color of vehicles going by.
You’ll start to notice the majority of them are white, black, gray, silver…all monochrome colors. Most of the ones that are an actual color are a dull and boring version of it; forest green, dark blue, beige, maroon, etc.
Why? Even though this trend dates way back, the 2009 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report says that car buyers are choosing these bland colors to be “safe” in this economy. They don’t want to pick an odd or vibrant color in fear that it will decrease its resale value when they want to sell it.
The report lists silver as the most popular color choice globally, with white the popular in North America and black in Europe.
STOP IT!
I love vibrant colors: pearl orange, yellow, bright green, blue, and especially when a manufacturer makes a special color for a new car.
Think about it…if you’re buying a 2010 Mazda 3 and choose silver to be “safe,” and everyone else is choosing silver to be safe, there will be an oversupply of silver Mazda3s on the market. But if you choose a fun and exciting color like Celestial Blue Mica, you have a much better chance of selling it to someone looking for a fun color who is tired of seeing all silver cars. Check out the comparison of colors below:
If you really do like silver or white or black best, go for it, but don’t choose it only because it’s safe.
Again using the Mazda3 as an example, eBay Motors currently has 18 2010 5-door models listed for sale. Out of the 18, six of them (33%) are white, six are silver or gray, one is black, three are dark red, and only one is bright blue and one bright red.
If I’m a buyer looking for white or silver, I have plenty to choose from (bad for the sellers,) but if I want an exciting color, that one seller is getting my business.
