When it comes to the haute couture topic of car colours, it seems that white is set to be the must-have shade among the beautiful people, according to Seat.

Never mind the outdated image of 'three-month white' the time sceptical car dealers once reckoned a vehicle would sit, unloved and unsold, on their forecourt before heading off to the auctions. Today, white is being tipped as the hot hue among buyers keen to show they're more Prada than Primark.

According to industry experts, the growing international shift towards white among car cognoscenti picks up on the more general move to white in all areas of consumer goods. From the ubiquitous Apple iPod to 2007's runaway Christmas gift winner, the Nintendo Wii, white is clearly where it's at.

Leading automotive paint supplier DuPont has tracked global car colour trends for more than 50 years, and in its latest survey is tipping white/white pearl as a 'trend shifting colour'.

"Our customers are looking at niche colours and effects," said Karen Surcina, Colour Marketing and Technology Manager, DuPont Automotive Systems. "The rise in popularity of white/white pearl and the long reign of silver suggest that we can expect a more dramatic shift in the top colour choice."

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the US-based Pantone Color Institute and author of Color: Messages and Meanings, supports the idea. "We are not surprised to see a proliferation of white/white pearl in DuPont's report this year," she said. "White is considered a fashion statement. The car you drive is a fashion statement, and consumer preferences for white agree."

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment