Standox Automotive Color Trend Analysis 2011 for Europe

Nov. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Black looks beautiful on any –car. This neutral yet stylish shade remains the preferred color of European motorists again in 2011, accounting for 25 percent of all new cars sold. This is the result of the latest Standox automotive color trend analysis for Europe (http://standox.com/projects). In second place, white has finally overtaken grey and silver.

The right color for any occasion, black has always stood for timelessness and understatement. In the luxury car and SUV segments, black accounts for nearly 40 percent of vehicles. Standox experts expect this trend to continue, especially with regard to refined special-effect shades of black. The six percentage point increase in white cars is especially surprising. “Like no other color, white symbolises the current mega trend in Europe,” says Standox color expert Sandra Piwonski. “White currently stands for minimalism, clarity, purity and minimalism. Not long ago, these concepts would have been expressed by silver.”

Overall, the success story of the achromatic colors, also referred to as “neutrals”, continues in 2011. The first chromatic color in the ranking is blue, in fifth place across Europe. There is no sign of a movement back to colors in the near future, as deep black and pure white remain the motorists’ preferred choices. Sandra Piwonski: “While fashion and other spheres of life may be quite colorful, most people stick to conservative color choices when it comes to buying cars. It seems as if the usually long relationship with a car and its high value leave no room for experiments in difficult economic times.”

Standox color experts in Germany not only monitor the color palettes of automotive manufacturers but also keep an eye on key indicators for colours in other areas like fashion, beauty and consumer articles. This way, they ensure that Standox responds quickly to current color trends, offering customers the right choice of paint shades and repair processes.

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Standox is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of car refinishing paints. With its headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany, the company offers innovative and environmentally compatible car paint product systems worldwide.