How car colors shifted across six decades: from the bold earth tones and chromatic variety of the 1970s to the neutral consensus of today.
Decadal production share tracked across 55 consecutive years. Follow the timeline from left to right to see how neutral tones (white, black, gray, silver) expanded from 28% of global production to 82%.
In the 1970s, earth tones and bright chromatic finishes defined the roadway. Brown, beige, gold, green, and blue accounted for nearly three-quarters of all cars rolling off assembly lines worldwide.
Over the next five decades, that diverse palette contracted. First came the rapid disappearance of earth tones in the late 1980s, followed by the silver boom of the early 2000s. Today, white alone accounts for more than a third of newly produced vehicles, while black, gray, and silver make up the rest of an overwhelming four-color neutral majority.
The palette didn't disappear—it narrowed. Four neutral finishes now represent 82% of all newly built passenger cars worldwide, leaving true chromatic colors to less than one vehicle in five.
CONTINUE TO SHAPE →