Silver continues its reign among automotive colors.

For the seventh consecutive year, silver has held its lead as the predominant color choice for vehicles globally, according to DuPont Automotive's recently released 2006 Color Popularity Report.

Since overtaking green in 2000, silver has held the top spot--the longest of any color in the 54 years DuPont has been tracking automotive vehicle color preferences.

While silver reigns supreme, changes are still taking place. A broadening of the range of tones in silver and in gray, another top choice, is occurring according to the report. The trend for the future includes the infusion of these neutral colors with greens, reds, and purples, which will provide customers a broader palette of choices. In addition, vibrant colors such as red and orange also registered noticeable growth around the world in 2006.

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"We are seeing a growing convergence in color preference globally. But while the world is becoming flatter and tastes are harmonizing globally, we think that it is also important to look deeply at the cultural and taste differences in large and growing markets, such as Asia," says Karen Surcina, color-marketing and technology manager, DuPont Automotive Systems. This year's report is more segmented to highlight variations within the Asian marketplace.

Japan's 2006 color choices remained consistent with the overall Asian results, with neutrals being dominant. Silver represented 27% of the market, white/white pearl was at 24%, black was 16%, and gray held 12%. The chroma color of blue rounded out the top five overall with 10% of the market.

Black remains a top choice across the global landscape. It was among the top five color choices in 2006 in the regions examined in the report. Black posted gains in specific segments in North America, primarily the luxury car market. The gains in North America closely follow the European acceptance and growth of metallic black. In South Korea, black was second in overall ranking in 2006 with a 21% share of the market. It trailed silver by one percentage point.

Typically, the bottom half of the top 10 most popular colors point to the growth trend for future colors, states the report. A clear trend for the future, according to the report, includes warmer tones such as red, as mentioned, as well as the continued strength of blue. Blue and red strengthened their positions as popular vehicle colors in North America in 2006--each registered an 11% share. In China, blue held a 17% share and red a nine percent share. Blue remained a top choice in Europe with a 13% share overall and was one of the top three color choices in the compact/sport vehicle segment (15% share).

The stronger showing of higher chroma colors throughout the world points to a desire by consumers for more vehicle personalization, states the report. This boldness allows for smaller vehicles to make a strong statement and is most evident in the compact/sport segment, where globally red and orange have seen a large upswing, notably in the three Asian markets and in North America. This trend to mass personalization, combined with the ability to provide a high level of customization, has opened up the opportunity for companies to provide differentiation for customers through lower volume products and special packages and color.

According to the Socionomics Institute in Gainesville, GA, color trends provide insight into the larger public mood in North America. "The popularity of silver has correlated with the optimism that attended the twin financial manias of the past nine years, the stock market boom surrounding the year 2000 and the housing boom since then," says Mark Galasiewski, a senior analyst at the Institute.

There is little doubt that vehicle color is very important to consumers--according to a national poll commissioned by DuPont, as many as 40% of U.S. consumers are willing to switch vehicle brands for a specific color.