2014's most popular automotive paint colours

Michael Jackson may have been on to something when he sang “It don’t matter if you’re Black or White.” He was referring to cultural backgrounds, of course, but that hook seems to be just as accurate when it comes to cars, as well — those two colours took up the top spots globally in the Automotive Color Popularity Report published by paint manufacturer Axalta Coating Systems last year.

To be exact, the world numbers were 29 per cent white, 20 black, followed by 15 per cent silver and 12 grey. North America mimicked those numbers closely with 26, 20, 14 and 13, respectively, according to the company’s findings. Aside from producing paint, Axalta also makes sense of colour data and trends.

“Our customers count on our data every year to drive market decisions,” says David Fischer, vice president of global OEM business, in a news release. “Our global team of colour specialists relies on our advanced forecasting to formulate the next generation of coating colours. The result is an ever-evolving colour palette for automotive designers.”

But do these findings apply to the local level, as well? We took a look through OpenRoad’s own databanks to see what colours were most popular for select brands in 2014. You might be surprised at what we found (similar shades combined).

Toyota:

1. Grey
2. Silver
3. White

Honda:

1. White
2. Black
3. Silver

Hyundai:

1. Silver
2. Black
3. White

Lexus:

1. White
2. Grey
3. Black

Mazda:

1. White
2. Grey
3. Black

*Honourable mention: red, blue