Ever wonder how carmakers come up with the colors available for your next ride? Or why you can't get a bright yellow Lincoln or a Grabber Orange Ford Escape? So have we.
So, Justin Pritchard interviewed Ford's paint expert Jon Hall for some answers. The Lead Designer of Colors and Materials at Ford, he told us how color offerings are decided, which colors are the most popular, and what to look for in automotive paint in the coming years.
JP: Where do the available color selections come from? Who decides on which colors are available? Is it strictly an internal decision?
JH: Color selection is led by our design team, but we have lots of input and resources to draw from in making those choices. Most importantly, we have a group with expertise in automotive design, fashion, interior design, textiles, art, and even technical product experience. We have information to help us keep abreast of such industries as fashion, automotive and other industrial design. Also, information comes from many worldwide trade shows for things like furniture & interior design, materials, and even think tank information about social and economic trends.
We also do market research to seek customer feedback on new ideas. Getting feedback from customers and dealers provides us with a good grounding for what people want.
JP: How much does brand image have to do with the colors available on certain models? Why can't I get a Lincoln MKZ painted in bright yellow?
JH: Colors are evaluated for how well they fit with certain brands and designs. You might be perfectly happy with a bright yellow Lincoln, but through our research and dealer committees we are able to gauge that an exotic color would not appeal to the majority of Lincoln customers. We want colors that fit right to the vehicles that customers see on the road and see in our dealerships, and that are desirable and beautiful.
JP:How often through a model's life are the available colors updated? Does it depend on the model, or is it a company-wide standard?
JH: We are developing new colors every year, and to the extent that we can introduce them, we try to refresh colors to fit with new trends. For example, by 2009 we will have replaced 45% of our colors across vehicle lines from our offering in 2007. This is the biggest change in color choices in Ford Motor Company's history.
JP:What's the next big thing in automotive paint? Is there a particular technology or trend we'll be able to see in the near future?
JH: More color and more effects. We're at the pinnacle, and maybe on the downswing, of the volume trend for such colors as silver and gray metallic. We see many indications in automotive trends and many indications in other industries that more color will be important to our market in the near future. In addition to that, such effects as white pearls and tinted clear enhanced colors sell quickly on our products. New kinds of sparkle and other effects will be successful in our new colors.
JP:What are some of the most common colors? Do they vary by vehicle type? By brand? By gender?
JH: In the midst of traffic, the most popular colors seem kind of invisible. Colors like white, silver metallic, gray metallic, and black make up more than 60% of colors. The brighter colors that you notice like reds, blues, oranges, and greens are very much in the minority, and are most popular on performance or sport utility vehicles. We also see that brands sometimes will have specific colors or types of paints that fare more popular. For instance, we find with Lincoln or luxury brands in general that there is a high take-rate in metallic colors and specifically the special metallic like tri-coat metallic and customers are willing to pay a premium for these opulent paints.
photo:Justin Pritchard, Ford
So, Justin Pritchard interviewed Ford's paint expert Jon Hall for some answers. The Lead Designer of Colors and Materials at Ford, he told us how color offerings are decided, which colors are the most popular, and what to look for in automotive paint in the coming years.
 |
| Jon Hall |
JP: Where do the available color selections come from? Who decides on which colors are available? Is it strictly an internal decision?
JH: Color selection is led by our design team, but we have lots of input and resources to draw from in making those choices. Most importantly, we have a group with expertise in automotive design, fashion, interior design, textiles, art, and even technical product experience. We have information to help us keep abreast of such industries as fashion, automotive and other industrial design. Also, information comes from many worldwide trade shows for things like furniture & interior design, materials, and even think tank information about social and economic trends.
We also do market research to seek customer feedback on new ideas. Getting feedback from customers and dealers provides us with a good grounding for what people want.
JP: How much does brand image have to do with the colors available on certain models? Why can't I get a Lincoln MKZ painted in bright yellow?
JH: Colors are evaluated for how well they fit with certain brands and designs. You might be perfectly happy with a bright yellow Lincoln, but through our research and dealer committees we are able to gauge that an exotic color would not appeal to the majority of Lincoln customers. We want colors that fit right to the vehicles that customers see on the road and see in our dealerships, and that are desirable and beautiful.
JP:How often through a model's life are the available colors updated? Does it depend on the model, or is it a company-wide standard?
JH: We are developing new colors every year, and to the extent that we can introduce them, we try to refresh colors to fit with new trends. For example, by 2009 we will have replaced 45% of our colors across vehicle lines from our offering in 2007. This is the biggest change in color choices in Ford Motor Company's history.
JP:What's the next big thing in automotive paint? Is there a particular technology or trend we'll be able to see in the near future?
JH: More color and more effects. We're at the pinnacle, and maybe on the downswing, of the volume trend for such colors as silver and gray metallic. We see many indications in automotive trends and many indications in other industries that more color will be important to our market in the near future. In addition to that, such effects as white pearls and tinted clear enhanced colors sell quickly on our products. New kinds of sparkle and other effects will be successful in our new colors.
JP:What are some of the most common colors? Do they vary by vehicle type? By brand? By gender?
JH: In the midst of traffic, the most popular colors seem kind of invisible. Colors like white, silver metallic, gray metallic, and black make up more than 60% of colors. The brighter colors that you notice like reds, blues, oranges, and greens are very much in the minority, and are most popular on performance or sport utility vehicles. We also see that brands sometimes will have specific colors or types of paints that fare more popular. For instance, we find with Lincoln or luxury brands in general that there is a high take-rate in metallic colors and specifically the special metallic like tri-coat metallic and customers are willing to pay a premium for these opulent paints.
photo:Justin Pritchard, Ford