Vibrant Paint Colors On The Rise, Says GM Director Of Global Color, Material And Finish
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Bright, eye-catching paint colors for vehicles are the wave of the future according to the Director of Global Color, Material, and Finish for GM, Jennifer Widrick, speaking to Chevy’s New Roads magazine.
Solid colors may be getting lighter and brighter, while two-tone vehicles might also being seeing a renaissance, potentially leading to more colorful roads going forward – at least for a while.
Achromatic paint finishes – white, black, gray, silver – have dominated for years now. In fact, white was still the most popular automotive paint color in 2022, continuing a winning streak that has seen it stay in the number one position for 13 consecutive years.
In spite of the achromatic colors’ market strength, Widrick sees chromatic auto paint colors gaining popularity quickly. Her team uses data about consumer trends to forecast color choices up to three to five years in advance, meaning some of their research is already looking at 2028 GM model-year colors. Orange, red, green, and blue, plus lighter colors in general, seem to be snowballing in popularity.
Some third-party research appears to back up Widrick’s claims. U.S.-based paint manufacturer Axalta says Techno Blue is the 2023 Global Automotive Color of the Year. The color is said to evoke today’s energized, positive, forward-looking mood. It also has no current equivalents in GM’s automotive color palette.
The automotive color trends researched by BASF, a significant coating supplier for GM, also show some brighter, richer colors climbing the popularity charts. Yellows and greens are gaining ground according to BASF, though it asserts red is a bright color that’s not currently highly desired.
Two-tone paint jobs on cars may be making a comeback, too, according to Widrick, as a way for buyers to get a more striking look. However, unlike yesteryear’s complex two-tone paint scheme’s, today’s appearances often focus on a simple, straightforward approach with a different colored roof. The 2022 Chevy Blazer tapped into this trend with its Black roof option, carrying the GM RPO code 41T, while the 2023 Chevy Trailblazer can be ordered with a Summit White (J32/J33), Iridescent Pearl Tricoat (J3B), Mosaic Black Metallic (J35/J50) or Crimson Metallic (J36) roof.
Turning to actual GM colors, the paint color options offered on electric vehicles like the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV SS include achromatic hues such as white, black, and pearl, but also some brighter, richer tints like Radiant Red Metallic, Riptide Blue Metallic, and Red Hot. Another electric vehicle, the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, sports the same reds and blues alongside the blacks, whites, and grays.
GM pickup trucks also have some more colorful options available for recent model years. The 2023 Chevy Colorado features five chromatic colors out of eight, including Harvest Bronze Metallic (color code GXN), Radiant Red Tintcoat (GNT), Glacier Blue Metallic (GLT), Nitro Yellow Metallic (GCP), and the beige Sand Dune Metallic (GTL).
While the 2023 GMC Canyon‘s palette is even split between chromatic and achromatic colors, it features some paint choices in tune with the possible shift toward brighter hues, including Deep Bronze Metallic (GXN), Dynamic Blue Metallic (GLT), Volcanic Red Tintcoat (GNT), and the shimmering golden tint of Solar Flare Metallic (GCP).
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They’re getting that way cuz that’s what you’re making not because buyers actually want it! Five ugly colors on a single vehicle that you actually want or can afford doesn’t make for happy customer! Options! There should be at least 12 different colors offered on every vehicle!
Lighter colored roofs will help reduce the sunlight heat transfer too! Tomg
well no $hit gm, you offer 2 shades of 5 different dark [bland] colors so when you drop a bright / vibrant color in the mix people will tend to want it.
GM sold many two tone cars in the past. I remember washing the two tone 1955 Chevy Bel-air that my uncle had in 1962.
Well the truck we have been have for over a year and waiting for heated seats and other components….lost the transmission two days ago….I wish there was someone at GM that I could talk to…or would answer emails
Sorry Margaret. but emails are a thing of the past, except for inter-office communications. I laugh at the other people on this site who say that they’ve emailed Mary Barra and never got an answer. -If a person is serious about something, you need to actually ‘brick and mortar'(write) a personal letter with correct headings and addresses, -to even get a response.(that’s what I do) Anyone can email in between sips of coffee(and it means absolutely nothing, -no effort involved!) and that goes nowhere anymore. -It it, it’s frivolous.
Good luck!
I emailed Mary last month and received a phone call from one of her underlings two days later.
It’s fascinating how colors come and go in cycles. Until the Ford Model T, cars came in brighter colors, but black dried faster and was cheaper to make…I for one am happy to see brighter colors and more two-tone finishes. Hard to look for a dark blue sedan or a silver SUV on parking lot because there’s so darn many of them!
I was extremely surprised to see green mentioned…..I thought GM forgot how to mix green!
GM’s Director of Global Paint should be fired.
F I N A L L Y ! ! !