10 top car colors for 2005 -- page 2

Sometimes, the particular brand or model will dictate a particular color or palette -- like the jewel tones popular on the Mini Coopers, the brights on Volkswagen's Beetle or the traditional dark green that's become the signature color for the Jeep brand.

In sports cars or even sportier models, "People are willing to take a chance with a brighter color," says Leighton. Brighter blues, reds, yellows are a hit. But black and silver tie for the lead, each accounting for 23.5 percent of sales, according to Power stats.

One big hit: Xirallic paints, which contain flakes of metal that catch the light. "It really sparkles," Webb says. "So when customers walk into the dealership, these colors will grab their attention."

Price impacts color choices, too. While many makers find that entry-level buyers will experiment with color, they tend to get more practical as the price of the vehicle goes up. For 2005 full-sized sedans, beige inched out silver by less than 1 percent, according to Power stats.

In 2005 luxury cars, black leads silver by one-third of 1 percent, Power numbers revealed.

"When a customer is spending $60,000 or $70,000 on a car, they're going to be a little more conservative," says Spafford.

Shifting out of neutral

Some makers believe that real color is making a comeback. The star? "Blue is the biggest color moving forward," Webb says.

Orange is also making an appearance. Hues from terra cottas to brighter sunburst shades are popular for several makers.

"Blue is still a fairly important color," says Hackstedde. "Same as yellow and orange -- they are your impact colors right now." And red "is still a very classic traditional automobile color," she says.

Another impulse that's driving the color quest: the desire for individuality.

"All the rules that used to exist are being thrown out," says Webb. Truck buyers used to stick to black, white, silver, beige and dark shades of blue, green and red. "Now you're seeing orange, yellow," he says. "The customer wants something different than other people."

But look for the return of brown, says Webb. Traditionally a very difficult color for cars, look for "elegant" shades in some of the high end 2007 and 2008 models, he says.

No matter what they are driving, people "want their cars to be more luxurious," says Will. And that extends to the color. As the paint technology keeps improving, mid- and lower-market consumers will have access to paint options -- such as pearlescent colors -- that were once only available on higher-end vehicles.

"Technology keeps moving and bringing the price down," Will says.

It's a small world after all

So what does all this silver, grey and neutral say about the consumer mindset?

"Some people say that when the economy's low, people buy more vanilla-type colors," Spafford says. "But on the other hand, if they have money to make a purchase, they may want something that will pick them up. You can flip a coin either side."

But buyers are getting more observant when it comes to colors. In 2003, Ford jazzed up the red on its 2003 Ford Explorer, adding compounds that gave the color more depth and sparkle, says Lampinen. Red shot from the eighth-most-popular choice to the second.

Consumers devour books, magazines and TV shows about design. And that has spilled over into their automotive choices.

"We have a much more design-savvy consumer now and they are more picky," Spafford says.

And car colors are going global.

"The world is a lot smaller," says Webb. When he compares palettes for his company's colors in various parts of the world, "almost three quarters are identical," he says. "It really shows how people are aware what's going on globally and are really sensitive to their colors right now."

Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Georgia.