What gets me is that white/grey/black is essentially camouflage in an urban environment, in a situation where you want tons or fast moving metal to be easily seen. Not limited to cars though, look at how bright/dark colored other road users or pedestrians are
There's a couple theories on why. Personally I think it's because we're all socially depressed and reflect that in our outward appearances. However, the acceptable theory is because Dealers have to pay flooring costs on cars and want ones they can sell faster. Grey, White, Black all sell faster than other colors. Where Have All the Colors Gone? A Car Dealer Explains… https://blog.consumerguide.com/boring-car-colors/
WTF? Were you even there? Lots of shit car colours in past decades. A lot of drab, mediocre vomity shades of bland. Just look at your photo. You want that?
After not having a car by choice for 15 years, I finally bought one. It’s a red, smallish SUV. It’s ubiquitous. Not only am I seen red, smallish SUVs everywhere, I’m seeing MY EXACT MAKE AND MODEL all over the place. It’s more than a little disturbing.
WTF? Were you even there? Lots of shit car colours in past decades. A lot of drab, mediocre vomity shades of bland. Just look at your photo. You want that?
The paints back then were awful. You’re going to see more color in the future (price pending) since the paints being used today are a lot more resistant to sun damage.
People will pay a pretty penny for a colour, just look how hard it is to get a Porsche Paint to sample allocation or the even harder to get paint to sample plus and they can be $10-50k for a colour.
People stopped seeing cars as an expression of identity and started seeing them as utilitarian. Colors converged, and designs converged, too. The "Crossover" is the most popular non-truck vehicle
Every time I go driving in this city, I am disgusted by 90% of the non-commercial vehicle traffic being trucks or SUVs, with the latter typically crawling carefully around curves at low speed because the drivers are terrified of tipping over, I must imagine.
Partly due to people not owning their cars anymore or using them as a tool only. Neutral colours are easier to rent. sell and resell as they don't rely on another person liking the colour. White also became the cheapest colour to buy and everyone is poor now. Showing your personality in everything costs money now.
Well, they don't rely on the other person _not disliking_ the color, at least. I suppose most people will tolerate a grey piece of shit if it's secondhand. I might, if I was looking for the cheapest junk I could find.
If people were poor they would be buying compact and subcompact cars, but sales of those died off in the last 20 years to now the entire compact market sells less than the F-150. In the 80s and 90s the escort and the civic both were selling 400k per year, now it's less than 200k and Ford stopped selling cars except the mustang to focus on SUVs. In the 60s compact cars like the falcon and the 65-66 mustang were selling 600k+ per year, the Pinto sold 500k+ in a year.
RIP all the small cars no longer available in the US because of lack of sales and have no replacement: Focus, Fiesta, Yaris, Fit, Dart, 500, Sonic, Cruze, Accent, Golf, Mazda2(that briefly returned under the Toyota Yaris badge before Toyota killed off the Yaris), and probably some others I missed.
I think that's a fairly uniquely US trend. Everything has got bulkier in general, and there is a trend towards the SUV shape (which has changed somewhat), but world wide the trend is still on the "family car" style. Also, that's new cars. More people buy used cars than new.
However, the colour trend is a global phenomenon due to my previous statements.
ReelPoop
i want all products to be grey that are not food
ChristopherHallett
Years ago I had a metallic green AUSDM Nissan S14 200SX. I still miss that car every day.
CitrusyGarlic
YUS thank you, I was just arguing with my dad that green new cars have almost disappeared as a thing
RCSpotz
I tried to buy a red one last time around, but my wife wanted white so we got white. Sorry everyone.
aducksayswhat
What gets me is that white/grey/black is essentially camouflage in an urban environment, in a situation where you want tons or fast moving metal to be easily seen. Not limited to cars though, look at how bright/dark colored other road users or pedestrians are
KilroyLichking
"Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black". Henry Ford
hfctom
There's a couple theories on why. Personally I think it's because we're all socially depressed and reflect that in our outward appearances. However, the acceptable theory is because Dealers have to pay flooring costs on cars and want ones they can sell faster. Grey, White, Black all sell faster than other colors. Where Have All the Colors Gone? A Car Dealer Explains… https://blog.consumerguide.com/boring-car-colors/
squishybaker
I've been doing my part, I've had 2 red cars, a purple and brown one and now on to a yellow one.
KingHippie
WTF? Were you even there? Lots of shit car colours in past decades. A lot of drab, mediocre vomity shades of bland. Just look at your photo. You want that?
StuBlack
White? Of all the colours... Hard to clean white?
Branchc
White is an easy car color to keep clean, at least in northern states that aren’t red clay. dark colors are hard
drduffer
After not having a car by choice for 15 years, I finally bought one. It’s a red, smallish SUV.
It’s ubiquitous. Not only am I seen red, smallish SUVs everywhere, I’m seeing MY EXACT MAKE AND MODEL all over the place. It’s more than a little disturbing.
an0therthr0waway
Upstate NY here. I think white cars are a safety concern in winter.
KingHippie
WTF? Were you even there? Lots of shit car colours in past decades. A lot of drab, mediocre vomity shades of bland. Just look at your photo. You want that?
ThanosDei
The paints back then were awful. You’re going to see more color in the future (price pending) since the paints being used today are a lot more resistant to sun damage.
SomeDetroitGuy
I've noticed that different colors are definitely making a comeback the last couple years.
TheGreatAtomsk
that's not because people want black, white, silver grey. it's because most of the time other colors cost a pretty penny.
Frenchgeek
Mine is grey because I got it secondhand. People who buy original colors tend to keep the car.
squishybaker
People will pay a pretty penny for a colour, just look how hard it is to get a Porsche Paint to sample allocation or the even harder to get paint to sample plus and they can be $10-50k for a colour.
420supercoolusername69
Yeah but then US CEOs can’t pocket another $9m from the paint savings
NotThePoint
To be fair, these are merely the colors that people are buying. If there was a demand for green then they would be making green cars.
frischcode
I had a "hunter green" Honda Civic. Loved that car!
PleaseRespectMyAsshole
Eh. I'm okay with not seeing baby poop brown and vomit green anymore.
Andersen81
Don't you miss diarea yellow?
BipedalHumanoidWithSlightlyDifferentNoseRidge
Canary Yellow faded to Baby poo yellow!
Pyrokneticbeavr
I miss the doodoo color palate. Opened up the avenue for a lot of jokes
Mikesane
I drove a 94 Cherokee in high school. The factory color was “champagne”. The red stripe on the trim didn’t help it any.
joeyecho101
Note: this data is now five years old. I'd guess it's probably even more grayscale now.
johnxbear
I've been seeing an increase in olive drab cars around me. Don't know if it's just around here or everywhere though.
Corrodias
... ew
Fanner50
Many ugly battleship grays out there. And Putty color, like old staplers.
CompressedInfo
People stopped seeing cars as an expression of identity and started seeing them as utilitarian. Colors converged, and designs converged, too. The "Crossover" is the most popular non-truck vehicle
Corrodias
Every time I go driving in this city, I am disgusted by 90% of the non-commercial vehicle traffic being trucks or SUVs, with the latter typically crawling carefully around curves at low speed because the drivers are terrified of tipping over, I must imagine.
theb1ackduck
I agree, marketing follows trends…this may be an outward expression of societies general level of health.
ontarioOT
It's because it's cheaper for the car makers. Or at least, that's the main factor.
CompressedInfo
If the market for colors was strong enough, supply would find a way to meet demand. People simply don't care enough about car color.
kydn
Partly due to people not owning their cars anymore or using them as a tool only. Neutral colours are easier to rent. sell and resell as they don't rely on another person liking the colour. White also became the cheapest colour to buy and everyone is poor now. Showing your personality in everything costs money now.
Corrodias
Well, they don't rely on the other person _not disliking_ the color, at least. I suppose most people will tolerate a grey piece of shit if it's secondhand. I might, if I was looking for the cheapest junk I could find.
dohcohv
If people were poor they would be buying compact and subcompact cars, but sales of those died off in the last 20 years to now the entire compact market sells less than the F-150. In the 80s and 90s the escort and the civic both were selling 400k per year, now it's less than 200k and Ford stopped selling cars except the mustang to focus on SUVs. In the 60s compact cars like the falcon and the 65-66 mustang were selling 600k+ per year, the Pinto sold 500k+ in a year.
dohcohv
RIP all the small cars no longer available in the US because of lack of sales and have no replacement: Focus, Fiesta, Yaris, Fit, Dart, 500, Sonic, Cruze, Accent, Golf, Mazda2(that briefly returned under the Toyota Yaris badge before Toyota killed off the Yaris), and probably some others I missed.
kydn
I think that's a fairly uniquely US trend. Everything has got bulkier in general, and there is a trend towards the SUV shape (which has changed somewhat), but world wide the trend is still on the "family car" style. Also, that's new cars. More people buy used cars than new.
However, the colour trend is a global phenomenon due to my previous statements.