Car paints in Germany: gray area

The Opel Kadett C in cashmere yellow, the VW Beetle in sky blue or the Ford Capri in toxic Le Mans green: Until the seventies many cars were colorful in Germany.

But then the traffic was grayed out more and more. Green is rare today. Most new cars are painted white, gray or black, 75 percent according to Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt. Above all, white has become more common in the past ten years. Meanwhile it is the third most popular car painting in this country.

The color palette is not the reason why German streets are almost monochrome. The selection is huge. Around 700 different colorations are currently available on the European market. Each manufacturer has its own. Why then this monotony? This is of course the owners, but different than you might suspect.

"Color has little to do with self-realization," says Paolo Tumminelli, a professor at the Cologne International School of Design. He believes, "Most car buyers choose a restrained hue to avoid making mistakes." Who wants it colorful, let his vehicle glued with films. If the sound does not like anymore, the foil is removed. This would also give the buyers security if they want to resell their car. Pink is not for everyone.

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Mark Gutjahr sees it differently. For one of the largest paint manufacturers in Europe, BASF Coatings, he detects the car gloss of the future. Gutjahr says that a fancy car paint even increase the sales opportunities. "With a special color, I have a special car that is more sought after in the used market."

700 shades, 135 are blue

According to Gutjahr gray and blue are just announced. Among the 700 colors offered in Europe, there are 135 blue shades alone. Ascending trend. This is also due to the effect of the color. It is considered sporty and technical at the same time. Some manufacturers therefore link them with their brand image. "BMW I associate with blue, because the sound is already in the logo," says Gutjahr.

Design expert Tumminelli also sees a blue tone in front, a bright mid blue between Azzuro-Dino and Bugatti blue. In addition, earth and sand tones as metallic paints. However, the color tone also depends on the vehicle class: "Smaller vehicles are ordered more often in colorful paints, for larger vehicles that is rather the exception."

In the S-Class, for example, Black dominates Obsidian Black to be exact. The A-Class, available in eleven colors, works best in polar white.

Ferrari red and Bugatti blue

But there are also automakers who deliberately push a showy color. Design professor Tumminelli not only thinks of the Ferrari red from Italy, but also of a Japanese manufacturer. Mazda has been presenting its new models in Magmarot for a few years now. Meanwhile, a majority of customers ordered a Mazda in this color.

In addition to the buyers and the color psychology, sometimes also affects the drive on the paint. Over the next few years, Tumminelli sees bright metallic paints rolling towards us, especially a mix between silver and Azzuro blue. "Color reflects the trend towards electromobility because it's a technical color," he says. Gray and black would also stick much in the future on the sheet.

Warm colors are the future, silver is the past

In addition to gray and blue, Mark Gutjahr also sees beige and gold on the rise. "It can look very elegant when the tone changes between gray and beige," he says. Especially warmer colors will increase in his opinion, in the next few years. He explains this with the social situation. "Many people find themselves looking for a warmer aesthetic in a colder world," he says.

Also, the gray area will be warmer in the future, by red instead of green oak. Silver, on the other hand, decreases. The silver content of paints has dropped sharply over the past 15 years. from a good 30 percent to just under 10 percent. "Silver stands for an outdated technology," says Gutjahr. That's about 2000.

Whether Bugatti blue, cashmere yellow, electric gray or colorful pied: It is important for Gutjahr that the color fits the car, and the buyer has seen them with their own eyes: "The live experience of color is important, you can not online yet so good. "