Autoblog

See how SRT cooks up new paint colors in its 'kitchen'

Zach Bowman — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Design/Style, SRT

Paint colors are a big deal for any automaker, and choosing hues for a specific brand can take as much fretting and focus as nearly any other aspect of vehicle design. For SRT, that means finding colors that cooperate with everything from the high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT8 SUV and the Chrysler 300 SRT8 sports sedan, to the wilder Charger SRT8, Challenger SRT8 and Viper. That range requires more than a little breadth, and Jim Parker, Head of Exterior Color at Chrysler, recently took the time to sit down for a little video to talk about what goes on in the SRT Color Kitchen.

What start out as computer-generated images move to paint samples from a supplier, which then get sprayed on more complex shapes. From there, SRT may spray a whole car to see how the color looks in the flesh before ever giving the hue the nod for production. You can check out the video below to see how it goes for yourself.

Continue reading See how SRT cooks up new paint colors in its 'kitchen'

See how SRT cooks up new paint colors in its 'kitchen' originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White remains world's most popular car paint color, copper and bronze rising

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Design/Style

When it came to paint colors on new cars, for ten years, silver was the one hue to rule them all, not just extending its lead through 2009 and 2010 but doing so in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The revolution came in 2011, when white took over as the top color in the States and black claimed the number one spot in Europe, silver maintaining its hold in the Orient.

The annual study by the paint experts at PPG Industries notes how the the colorless hue has made more gains this year, white cars being the number one choice here and in Europe and tied for first place with silver cars in Asia. Black took second place in every market. Here, silver and gray grabbed third place, while our European cousins displayed their taste for 50 shades of metallic: gray took third place on its own, silver in fourth, four points behind. In Asia, "natural," which includes browns, tans, golds, oranges and yellows, was the pigment of choice after white and black.

Further back in the pack, mineral and alloy shades like gold, copper and bronze are getting more buyers, and based on some of the colors being previewed for 2015 and 2016 it looks like our automotive future has more than a chance of sparkle. The PPG press release below has all the trends and the numbers.

Continue reading White remains world's most popular car paint color, copper and bronze rising

White remains world's most popular car paint color, copper and bronze rising originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Silver stretches its lead as most popular car color

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Design/Style

When PPG started keeping track of cars sales by color back in 1990, the superstar of the car color world has been silver, and according to firm's latest study, it shows no signs of slowing down. For the tenth year in a row, the silver, charcoal and gray category are numero uno amongst new car shoppers. In 2008, it accounted for 20 percent of vehicles sold and that figure climbed to 25 percent in 2009, reaching its current zenith of a 31 percent.

Slotting in behind silver are black and white, which tied for second with 18 percent apiece. Red garnered 11 percent while blue was close behind with 10 percent. Coming in last, with just four percent of the action, is the color green. Consumer color choices have come full circle from where they were 16 years ago. Back then, green held the top spot and silver came in near the bottom.

Silver is not just the favorite choice for consumers in North America. The Europeans go with the shade 32 percent of the time, while Asian car shoppers opted for it on 33 percent of vehicles sold this past year.

[Source: PPG]

Continue reading Study: Silver stretches its lead as most popular car color

Study: Silver stretches its lead as most popular car color originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford reveals which colors, engines are popular and where

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Ford

2011 Ford Super Duty - Is that in Houston or Denver? Click above for high-res image gallery

According to data just released by Ford, it is sometimes possible to pigeonhole certain areas of the country with specific colors and engine choices. For instance, Texas is synonymous with trucks. As such, it's not surprising that Houston leads the country in percentage of pickup truck sales. Diesels, duallies and four-wheel drive, though, are more common in Denver, Colorado. Makes sense - turbocharged engines perform well at high altitudes and the snowy climes in the Rockies make four-wheel drive a must.

Surprise! Drop tops are be common sights in Los Angeles and Miami, says Ford. Similarly, its not a shock to hear that white cars sell well in sun-baked cities like Phoenix, Arizona. But some other trends are more difficult to explain. Why are blue cars popular in Philadelphia? Why do Boston buyers choose brown cars with four-cylinder engines while Detroiters prefer sixes in red?

We could hazard a few guesses as to why hybrids sell like hotcakes in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Boston, but we'll leave those conclusions to you. Interested in knowing more about what sells where? Click past the jump for the breakdown.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Super Duty

Continue reading Ford reveals which colors, engines are popular and where

Ford reveals which colors, engines are popular and where originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PPG study says silver continues nine-year reign as most popular auto paint color

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Design/Style

Silver just won't give up its nine-year choke hold as the most popular color choice for cars and trucks, both in the United States and abroad. In fact, the silver and gray category actually picked up an additional five percent on the rest of the field with a market share of roughly 25 percent in 2009.

Moving on down the list shows that Americans are also fond of white (18 percent market share), black (16 percent) and red (12 percent). All told, all other colors combined add up to less than one third of all vehicles sold in America. Silver also took the top spot in both Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Why are gray shades so popular with new car buyers? According to Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager of color styling and automotive coatings:

What helps drive silver's popularity are all of the innovative effects that really make silver shine... much more than just a simple gray. Silver tones work well with today's tinted metallic textural looks. The diversity of silver, from subtle hue shifts to dimensional metallic flake appearances, works with a variety of vehicle styles.

Want to know more? Click past the break for the press release from PPG. Thanks for the tip, Leslie!

[Source: PPG]

Continue reading PPG study says silver continues nine-year reign as most popular auto paint color

PPG study says silver continues nine-year reign as most popular auto paint color originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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