WILMINGTON, Del. -
The two hues battling neck-and-neck for the world’s most popular vehicle color, according to DuPont’s latest findings, are silver and black. However, remaining atop the North American market is white/white pearl.
DuPont’s 58th Global Automotive Color Popularity Report delved into global color popularity, in addition to sharing the top colors from 11 regions from throughout the world.
With a 26 percent share, silver was No. 1, but it was followed closely by black/black effect (24 percent) globally. White/white pearl and gray tied for third as each garnered 16 percent.
Red was fourth on the list (6 percent), followed by blue (5 percent) and brown/beige (3 percent).
Rounding out the list were green (2 percent), yellow/gold (1 percent) and others (less than 1 percent).
“Our annual global color analysis allows DuPont to share insights into global color trends with automakers as they’re planning future vehicle designs,” stated Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color marketing manager. 
“The demand for fresh, high-quality information is more relevant today than ever before, as the industry continues to see increased consumer demand for innovative vehicle design and styling,” she added.
There have been some changes across the world when it comes to color popularity. For instance, silver was No. 1 in each of the regions back in 2007, but regional preferences have made an impact globally, according to DuPont.
Black, silver and gray have been in the mix for spots Nos. 1-3 throughout much of the world, and gray has been on the rise. Specifically, its popularity has climbed 3 percentage points year-over-year.
Silver and black/black effect moved ahead 1 percentage point, and red and blue each dipped 3 percentage points, even though they have been regionally popular.
Brown and beige also continued moving upward in popularity.
Breaking it down by region, white/white pearl grabbed a 21 percent share to top the North American market, a reign that has now lasted four straight years.
This is mostly attributable to the color being strong in fleets and the light truck and SUV markets, DuPont shared.
Next for North America was black/black effect (18 percent) followed by silver (17 percent). Gray was No. 4 followed by red at No. 5.
Looking at other regions, the most popular colors there were as follows:
—Europe: black/black effect (24 percent)
—Mexico: black/black effect and white (tied at 22 percent)
—South America: silver (33 percent)
—Brazil: silver (34 percent)
—Asia/Pacific: light neutrals
—China: silver (33 percent)
—Japan: white/white pearl (28 percent)
—India: white (29 percent)
—South Korea: silver (33 percent)
—South Africa: white (35 percent)
—Russia: black/black effect (21 percent)