By Robert Duffer
Chicago Tribune
The hottest car color for 2017 may be a kind of blue, according to one paint company. The number of blue vehicles made in 2016 increased 3 percent in luxury, midsize and compact cars, says PPG, a multinational paint company based in Pittsburgh.
PPG expects the number of blue vehicles to increase and take a chip out of white, the standard-bearer that accounts for 25 percent of vehicles made in North America. Black and silver follow at 19 percent, with the favorite being Vesuvio Gray on the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
Blue is just 10 percent but coming on strong. Why the increasefor blue?
“Blue is a very versatile color for the automotive market, because subtle shifts in hue, chroma and flake appearance of a blue coating can do a lot to enhance a vehicle’s style or distinguish a brand,” said Jane Harrington, PPG manager.
The names automakers give their vehicles’ coatings may be more colorful than the colors themselves: Lightning Blue Metallic (from Ford), Hermosa Blue (Infiniti) and Eternal Blue Mica (Mazda).
Long Beach Blue Metallic looked better on the BMW M2 sports coupe than the dark but reflective Mediterranean Blue on the 340i. And Buick’s blue on the new Cascada convertible was as uninspired as its name, Deep Sky Metallic.
One favorite was the Graphite Blue Metallic on the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. Everyone who commented on the car commented on its color. It was a kind of sky gray meets powder blue that might be the birth of the cool blue.
— Chicago Tribune
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