“Any customer can have their car painted any color they want, as long as it’s black,” Henry Ford famously said about the company’s iconic 1908 Model T. The aim was to streamline the production process. But even Ford couldn’t sustain this policy. Produced only in black from 1914 to 1925, the Model-T began to be sold in several other colors until production was discontinued in 1927.
Automotive industry executives now list a car’s color as one of the top three criteria for buyers, after model and brand. Vikram Pawar, Managing Director, BMW Group India, said: “Research consistently reveals that certain colors evoke specific associations, shape our perceptions, and evoke unique emotions. Color is a strategic communicator, influencing aesthetics. It sends a message beyond and influences our purchasing decisions.”
characteristic color
It is difficult to create a color for a car and convert it to buyer satisfaction. It’s no surprise, then, that automakers spend a lot of money on extensive market research on color. “We are combining our existing best-selling colors with new shades,” said Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.・Revealed that it is the most popular color for Benz customers. .
Evolving consumer tastes and competitive pressures have led automakers to offer newer, bolder colors to attract buyers. For example, there is Tata Motors’ “Dark” series of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with blacked-out exteriors. But then there’s Lamborghini, which sits in the ultra-luxury segment and has boasted quirky yellow, green and orange as its go-to colors for decades.
“Every time a new model is released, the Centro Stile [the design team] Ad persona support [the customisation team]is working on research to evolve these iconic variations. [flagship] The colors ensure relevance and alignment with contemporary trends,” said Federico Foschini, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at Automobili Lamborghini. “The work done is a thorough analysis of technology and finishing techniques coupled with a search for trending colors for specific models at that point in history,” he added.
Vanilla doesn’t work
Car buyers in India, especially first-time car buyers, are getting younger and younger. “The median age of car buyers is between 24 and 35 years, and around 65% of car owners are under 30 years old,” said Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer (sales and marketing), Maruti Suzuki. I told you before. ET auto.
Millennial and Gen Z buyers like to make a statement with their wheels. They are not as conservative as previous generations of customers. “The new generation is flashier and wants more individuality. They want to express themselves through gadgets and accessories. Vanilla doesn’t cut it anymore,” says the director of Tata Motors Design Studio in India. says director Ajay Jain.
The company recently launched its flagship SUVs, Harrier and Safari, updated in yellow and rose gold (colors not associated with “rugged” SUVs) to target expressive young buyers.
Ravi Bhatia, president of automotive data, insights and consulting firm JATO Dynamics India, agrees. “Millennial and Gen Z buyers are breaking free from traditional ties.” [of car colours]. They tend to choose colors based on personal taste, personality and environmental awareness,” he says. They are increasingly choosing bold, vibrant colors such as orange, yellow, green and purple to make a statement, and are opting for matte finishes rather than traditional glossy looks to show off their creativity and individuality. We use two-tone colors and custom paint for this purpose.
color marketing
Brands use color to convey the value and positioning of a car model. Srivastava believes that the color should match the characteristics of the car. Maruti Suzuki’s signature ‘Nexa Blue’ expresses elegance and sophistication in keeping with its more premium vehicles. Similarly, the company has used red as the signature color for the Swift to convey its sportiness, and yellow for the Jimny SUV to highlight its off-road characteristics. These colors are used in all the model’s marketing communications and advertising campaigns.
Speaking about BMW, Pawa said: “Black exudes sophistication and mystery, appealing to those drawn to bespoke luxury, while blue, white and silver convey reliability, modernity and cutting-edge design. ”.
“‘Communication colors’ are extremely important as they maximize the character of the car and strongly emphasize its appeal and appeal to customers,” says Iyer. It is often this color that makes a lasting impression on the customer and becomes an important parameter for considering the global positioning of the car.
Foschino analyzed this further and revealed that a car’s debut color also gives it a significant presence in the market. “The launch color largely drives our customers’ preferences, followed by other colors,” he says.
external factors
Apart from consumer preferences and age, there are also some business considerations. Mainstream automakers typically offer six to nine colors for each model, but are limited by production costs and complexity. “Yellow pigments tend to be expensive, but white is more cost-effective,” explains Srivastava. Also, in order to sell a threshold number of units (e.g., minimum order quantity), the selected color must have a certain level of consumer acceptance, and the lack of it is costly to produce.
However, the situation is a little different in the ultra-luxury segment, which relies more on customization than mass production. Foschino said Lamborghini customers can choose specific colors that can be found on any model. “Rather than pre-selecting and offering specific colors, we take a strategic approach by tailoring the color range to each model produced,” he explains.
But this has to be said. While automakers are experimenting with newer, flashier colors, white and gray remain firm favorites. According to data from JATO Dynamics India, 39% of cars sold in 2023 were white across categories. His 40% of cars sold by Maruti Suzuki are white. Tata Motors also considers white to be the primary color sold in most of its portfolio. Here’s some trivia. Gold was the least popular color across all car models at 0.1%. Therefore, white cars have higher liquidity in the resale market. In fact, experts say cars with funky colors may have a hard time finding buyers on the used car market.
Overall, car buyers choose colors based on intuition and analysis, whether it’s a bold choice or a conservative choice.