Is blue Europe’s favourite new car colour?
You heard it here first. Our man Richard Aucock returned from the LA Auto Show with a bold prediction that blue will be the colour to be seen in next year.
Grey might be the dominant automotive hue in 2019, but blue is likely to steal its crown in 2020.
In Europe, grey leads the way with a 22.1 percent market share, followed by white (21.8 percent) and grey (21 percent). It wouldn’t take a big shift for blue to grab the top spot.
Indeed, blue leads the way in a couple of segments. It’s the most popular colour for small cars (24.5 percent market share) and medium cars (28.6 percent).
Why are we so confident that blue will lead the way in 2020? Let’s consider the evidence, darling.
The website Who What Wear has included blue in its seven biggest colour trends of spring/summer 2020. Of faded denim, it says: ‘This blue shade is as reliable and dependable as your go-to pair of jeans. The approachable hue conveys comfort and ease and looks chic when paired with bold and vibrant colours’.
Meanwhile, the paint industry says blue is set to be a ‘seasonal cornerstone, with the sea a main source of influence’.
In Los Angeles, Lexus unveiled the stunning LC 500 Convertible in Structural Blue, while Grabber Blue Metallic is one of three colours available on the Mustang Mach-E First Edition models.
Blue is a ‘safe haven’
Just don’t expect blue metallics to come cheap. Manufacturers will be quick to jump on any trends, charging extra for premium blue hues.
“Blue is a colour often associated with balance, it echoes parts of the natural world. At times of social and political unease, this colour space could feel like a safe haven. It is increasingly associated with mindfulness, environmental awareness and future mobility. Choosing blue is a way of showing optimism and openness, a desire for harmony.“ said Julie Francis, colour and material design supervisor at Ford of Europe
Bigger story is why the hell manufacturers are pushing, in recent years and seemingly with no let up, black interiors. Black black black. Yuck yuck yuck. Who wants to drive around in a wheelie bin on the inside of a 20 year old Dunlop wellington boot? Well, sadly millions of people else they’d all have put their foot down and demanded better. Even their likes of Mercedes, who once did nice interiors in their E class ‘Elegance’ range, or Ford with their ‘Ghia’, have dumbed down and taken advantage of the situation (for their own profit of course) in just offering black black black unless you stump up for an S-class. Yet other countries, eg. Cyrpus I gather, don’t have this issue and there you can still get an E-class with burr walnut trim …?? Why not UK??
Sorry about the couple of typos there … or, not ‘on’ and the not ‘their’