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Sometimes, the distinctions between producing European car stock photos and USA car stock photos are right there in black and white.

Europeans, an annual industry report says, prefer black cars. Americans, on the other hand, favor white.

The report comes from automotive paint supplier PPG, which says 26 percent of new cars sold last year in Europe were black, while 20 percent of the cars sold in the United States were white. Taking the middle road, Asian buyers — 25 percent of them, anyway — chose silver above all other colors.

Numbers like this might sound like another cupful of interesting water-cooler trivia, but it’s worthwhile information for car photographers as they consider details like settings for photo shoots, lighting and the tone their images take.

Color is one of the most basic means of human expression,” says PPG’s Jane E. Harrington, manager of color styling and automotive coatings. “The palette of colors being developed for the automotive segment is being influenced by culture, nature, fashion, interior design, media, auto shows, color popularity and new pigment technology.

Emphasizing the importance of the study’s findings, PPG’s research says that 48 percent of car buyers reported that they often base their decisions on color — and 77 percent say exterior color has helped them make their vehicle choices.
Well worth considering even though most imaging and design professionals could tell you that white, black and silver are not colors. If details are important to you, too, contact us.