"Conservative Differentiation” Among Consumers May Be Sign of the Times

Wilmington, Del., December 9, 2008 - The 2008 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report says white is the top vehicle color choice in North America for the second straight year, and is a strong player globally, with “white effects” allowing consumers to differentiate cars subtly to express their individuality. Black and silver with effects also turned in a strong performance globally. The term “effects” refers to special pigments that lend a pearl or iridescent appearance to coatings.

White and white pearl scored 16 and 4 percent, respectively, black and black effect scored 11 percent and 6 percent, while silver, which led the pack for six consecutive years, garnered a 17 percent share of the North American market.

A leading supplier of coatings to the global automotive market both for new cars and in the collision repair industry, DuPont this year broadened the global scope of the authoritative Automotive Color Popularity Report to include specific data from emerging markets India and Russia. The automotive industry is expanding rapidly in both countries.

North American color choice highlights several trends. First, there is a continuing convergence of color choice globally with color preferences becoming more homogeneous across the globe. Additionally, DuPont continues to report white as a “palette cleansing” color signaling a pause after a long running trend and in advance of a new trend. The 2007 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report announced the end of silver’s seven year reign.

“We're seeing basic colors like black, white and silver continuing in the lead but consumers are looking for differentiation with tri-coat and other effects,” said Karen Surcina, color marketing manager -- DuPont Performance Coatings. “These colors and effects provide a higher degree of customization and luxury-effect which allow consumers a conservative differentiation from the traditional color palette.” A tri-coat paint system consists of a basecoat, a midlayer which contains the color and specialized “effect” pigments followed by a clear coat.

“While black, white and silver continue to remain strong, we are seeing interesting trends developing,” Surcina continued. “The popularity of true chromatic colors such as blue and red are on the rise, with blue growing worldwide as consumers look to more environmental themes and lifestyles.”

“Blue is being utilized as the ‘new green’ because it is well understood by people all over the world that blue can also represent the preservation of nature,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Color: Messages and Meanings. “Imagine a clear blue sky mirrored in a pristine blue lake and you will get the picture. It is a universal favorite.”

Global Convergence and Regional Differentiation

The global review of color popularity reveals that preferences are converging around the world, but within the convergence there is subtle differentiation between markets. As DuPont reported in June 2008, blue is becoming more popular and currently ranks among consumers in North America with 13 percent of the overall market. Blue has garnered 12 to 13 percent of the market for the past few years and is a top five color choice in every market with the exception of Brazil.

“Neutral colors like silver and light gray shades capture a high volume, but long term they show a decreasing tendency in almost all regions,” said Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color designer for North America. “Moving forward, it will be imperative to refresh styling of these popular colors with different effects that can restore their popularity.”

[DuPont 2008 Automotive Color Popularity Report]

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