White coating is used in many eco-friendly vehicles, which adds to the popularity of achromatic coating as eco-friendly cars are becoming increasingly popular. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study has revealed that South Korean customers typically prefer white cars, and tend to purchase vehicles painted in achromatic tones.
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd, a multinational coatings provider, said that one out of three vehicles sold in South Korea was white, followed by gray (21 percent), black (16 percent), and silver (11 percent).
Compact or mid-size cars, which are the most popular, usually come with achromatic coating, which makes them easier to maintain and ensures a higher resale value.
White coating, in particular, is used in many eco-friendly vehicles, which adds to the popularity of achromatic coating as eco-friendly cars are becoming increasingly popular.
Black coating still accounts for 15 percent to 16 percent of the market. A symbol of status and prestige, black seems to have generated constant demand.
Other colors remained below 10 percent, including blue (9 percent), red (6 percent), brown/beige (3 percent), yellow/gold (1 percent), and green (<1 percent).
White has been chosen as the most popular color for vehicles worldwide for eight years in a row.
Axalta showed 38 percent of all cars sold around the world were white, followed by black (18 percent), gray (12 percent), silver (12 percent), blue (7 percent), red (5 percent), brown/beige (5 percent), yellow/gold (2 percent), and green (<1 percent).
Asians tended to prefer white (48 percent), followed by South Americans (42 percent), North Americans (29 percent), and Europeans (25 percent).
In China, the world’s largest market for automobiles, 58 percent of customers bought white cars, followed by black (18 percent), gray (7 percent), and brown (7 percent).
At 35 percent, a bit more than one third of all customers in Japan also bought white cars, followed by black (22 percent), silver (12 percent), blue (9 percent), red (6 percent), brown/beige (5 percent), and gray (5 percent).
In North America, the majority of customers purchased white cars (29 percent), followed by black (18 percent), gray (16 percent), silver (12 percent), blue (8 percent), and brown/beige (4 percent).
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
