Axalta Coating Systems has announced Techno Blue as its 2023 Global Automotive Color of the Year following the release of its 2022 Automotive Color Trends ‘Powered by Color’ Report. Formulated for various coating solutions, Techno Blue is described as a “pulsating colour that is right on beat with the rhythm of today’s lively energy. The modern, whimsical shade also embodies the transition from the real to virtual world.” “This year’s colour is vibrant and radiates positivity,” said Hadi Awada, Senior Vice President Global Mobility at Axalta. “Techno Blue is a bold contrast to the luxurious Royal Magenta, Axalta’s 2022 Color of the Year, shifting people’s mindsets towards futuristic thinking. I’m proud that our mobility team continues to drive trends throughout the automotive industry.” Despite Techno Blue’s victory, Axalta’s Global Automotive 2022 Color Popularity Report shows neutral colours continued to trend in 2022, with the top three colours of white, black, grey, and silver accounting for 82 per cent of cars on the road globally. White shades led (34 per cent total) with solid whites at 20 per cent popularity and pearlescent whites at 14 per cent. “Today’s vehicles are more vibrant than ever,” said Robert Schnell, Vice President, Global Sales & Product Management, Axalta. “For example, compared to the white colour variations of the 1950s, these whites are brighter and beam with iridescent flakes. Together, vehicles in white, black, grey, and silver add up to 82 per cent of cars on the road today.” Deep black colours with sparkling effects were next, totalling 21 per cent of vehicles on the road. Grey colours with sparkling effects in an assortment of colourful hues were on 19 per cent of vehicles. The report also found variations of blue (eight per cent), red (five per cent), and green (one per cent) with high colour intensity and complex sparkling effects. From a regional perspective, North America and South America had an increase in white vehicles, which remains the number one colour in these areas. North America had the highest number of red vehicles (seven per cent), but also showed an increase in blue vehicles, totalling 11 per cent. In South America, three per cent of vehicles were beige and mostly found on small / compact cars. One per cent of vehicles were brown, and appeared predominantly on intermediate vehicles, trucks, and SUVs. Europe kept grey as the most popular colour for the fourth year in a row at 27 per cent and did not experience much shift in popularity overall. White decreased two points to 21 per cent popularity. Asia continued to have the highest number of white vehicles (40 per cent) despite a steep decline in China (43 per cent). Rounding out Asia Pacific, India, Japan, and South Korea continued to see silver decline one per cent in each region.
