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Americans Making Bolder Car Color Choices

TROY, MI -- (WWJ) While white remains the most popular car color, Americans are getting more adventurous in their choices.

In fact, today's white car isn't the same color car your parents may have driven.


VIDEO: WWJ's Jeff Gilbert reports on car colors.

"We don't have like plain white vanilla," said Jane Harrington, PPG's manager for color styling for the auto industry. "We have anything from a creamy white to white's that are tri-coats or pearl, more of an avalanche white. Whites that have a fine sparkle to them, which give them a whole different look."

The other top colors are also familiar, black and silver. But, we're seeing other trends emerging.

"The up and coming colors we see are more oranges and browns," said Harrington. "You're starting to see this globally. It's really interesting. You're seeing it in interior design. You're and also in a lot of consumer products."

PPG forecasts car colors by looking at the colors that are being used in other areas, like fashion and home interior decoration. Harrington also expects "niche colors"—like purple—to become more popular on a limited number of vehicles. PPG is showing off three different shades of purple.

"One might be bluer cast. One might be more chromatic. One might be a darker cast."
Every year, PPG takes designers through its color studio, showing off new colors and new shades. This year, they have 64 different colors.

While new colors are coming in to the auto market, old favorites are changing.

"Colors like silver are being replaced with grey," said Harrington. "Those are really two different colors, in my opinion, for the automotive market."

Connect with Jeff Gilbert
Email: jdgilbert@cbs.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carchronicles
Twitter: @jefferygilbert

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