Old vs New Color Research

[MattT69]

Interesting discussion regarding car manufacturer's old vs new color production choices and why they have evolved from a variety of vibrant colors to shades of grey...

It seems like the Jeep Wrangler has followed this tread, even through it is one of a few vehicle styles that can pull off a wide range of colors. But today, black & white are ubiquitous and very common, along with all the other shades of grey.

According to the video, shades of Grey plus B&W are approx. 70% of current market sales... this is huuuuuge!!!

1. Is this trend the same where you live?
2. What percentage of shades of grey colors do you see on the roads and trails? All cars vs Wranglers...
3. What percentage of black & white colors do you see on the roads and trails? All cars vs Wranglers...
4. What percentage of other colors do you see on the roads and trails? All cars vs Wranglers...
5. What's your favorite old & new Wrangler colors...

Feel free to post photos of old and new Wrangler colors...
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[Sital]

Man, those questions feel too much like math homework.

I'd say the 70% number is pretty accurate for all vehicles (including Wranglers), at least in my area. My wife and I were just commenting the other day how most every car is black, white, or a shade of gray (of course hers is white). I, on the other hand, like color in my vehicles and have never bought black, white, or gray. My favorite Wrangler color is my current one...Reign.

 

[REAWS6]

I guess I am odd that I don't find gray boring like so many other people seem to. Sure on a boring crossover it is but so are the other colors. You can do a lot with gray/silver that you can't always do with other colors without it looking funny which is why we have so many variations of it and none of them boring to me! My last Jeep was a stingray and I probably would've stayed with that when ordering my new one if Gobi wasn't an option. I like bright colors on Jeeps but also don't want to drive that bright color around all day every day!

 

[Heimkehr]

Whites, blacks and grays are evident on close to 70% of the vehicles on the local roads here. Variations of blues comprise much of the remaining 30ish percent.

My favorite color on a Wrangler is Ocean Blue, a classy deep navy. It was withdrawn from the JL palette a few months prior to my factory order, because of course. I bunted to Firecracker Red, which is pleasant enough.

Ocean Blue remains unavailable. At least Toledo had the fortitude to reintroduce the muted and tasteful Tuscadero. God bless them for that.

 

[OrneryBear]

This has been a trend in the auto industry for a long time. It's heavily driven by fashion and home decor trends as well. The auto industry also employs a lot of people from the fashion industry to work in color and trim in order to keep vehicles relevant to current trends that most people pay attention to.

There is also a psychology to what colors are popular based off current national and world events, but I can't for the life of me remember much details on that, so I won't speak more to it.

 

[Whaler27]

The white to black palate is the trend everywhere, I think. Color also seems to influence KBB values.

Lots of people are ambivalent about silvers and grays, but few people shopping used vehicles would avoid buying an otherwise perfect jeep because it’s silver or white. It’s different for purples, pinks, and other colors. People tend to either love those or hate them.

On our CJ/TJ/JK/JL purchases we’ve had white (73), yellow (77), black (80), blue(83), green (99), yellow (06), silver (08), and gray (19).

 

[Signing Spock]

I’m currently stationed in Belgium, and the US DoD has a car sales deal with a company called Military Autosource for overseas sales … their storefront here at my post got a fresh batch of “test drive/display only” vehicles and all of them are white or black a JLU Sport S is one of them, and it’s white.

there’s a white Honda Accord, black Toyota Highlander, black Ford Bronco Sport, a white Honda CRV, and a white JLU Sport S

Just last week there was a silver Ford Escape, a fun blue Honda Pilot trail-something (loved that blue), and a black Toyota Camry lol

 

[BXFXJeep]

I will never buy black, white, grey/gray/silver

YJ - Red
TJ - Desert Sand
JK - Jeep Green
JKU - Anvil
JLU - Punk'N
JLU - Gecko

 

[Mgdstar]

I lot of people seem to have depression and their vehicles reflex that. I read an article awhile back that stated this, but can’t remember the authority behind the research, could all be BS. My new Rubicon X is in High Velocity Yellow and I love the change from Sarge Green which is my favorite, but after 16 years of that color I wanted something much brighter.

 

[Dusty Dude]

When I still lived in Chicago, I used to go to the Hancock building and Sears Tower for transmitter work every so often. You could look down on the streets and see exactly what you are describing. White/Black/gray with some maroon, and even fewer very muted blues. The taxi’s really stuck out because they were yellow.

When I bought my B5 blue Challenger, my colleagues could pick me out miles away on the expressway and watch me approach either building on the streets with ease.

 

[MattT69]

Man, those questions feel too much like math homework.

I'd say the 70% number is pretty accurate for all vehicles (including Wranglers), at least in my area. My wife and I were just commenting the other day how most every car is black, white, or a shade of gray (of course hers is white). I, on the other hand, like color in my vehicles and have never bought black, white, or gray. My favorite Wrangler color is my current one...Reign.

Sorry about the math homework
I get it and understand that the struggle is real... my wife also has a White 4door JLR, and I have the Hella Yella... so it's 50/50 in my house.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Related Poll: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/paint-codes-by-year.125478/

 

[The Last Cowboy]

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down"

What a statement. Herd mentality, safety in numbers. Many people don't want to stick out. They want to be safe in the choice and not face questions or criticism. How many have bought a 4 door for that very reason?

Anyway, who am I to talk, I have a white one. But, I really like it, have since I first saw it and actually chose it over a red one. Jeep had no color options that I really liked at the time, Bikini having recently been cancelled. The last Jeep I ordered, a JK, was Commando Green,, a color that I still love.

Dealers avoid bright colors in stock, as they typically don't sell quickly, see the safe choice comment above.

Also, I think that the news cycle is so negative, and people work far more than they did a decade or two ago, that there just doesn't seem to be the time or desire for truly fun things anymore. Just pay attention to people around you when you go anywhere anymore. And the type of videos that go viral seem to be people having a bad day, melting down, profanely complaining, or finding humor in someone else's misery. We definitely don't live in happy times, and the color choices reflect that.

And, one last thing. Jeep makes you pay nearly $1000 for any color other than white, while at the same time dulling down those offerings. So, as far as Wranglers go, that might have something to do with it. I sure as hell wouldn't pay anything extra for black or silver, and their other options right now are yawn worthy.

 

[MaybeRubi]

The last 2 vehicles I bought (Ford Van, Wrangler), I ordered from the factory -- in gray. So, it wasn't about what the dealer had on the lot. (I did consider a used Pink Willys somewhat for the custom bumper sticker options, such as, "Like my Pink Willy?" and worse). Why gray? One reason: we often stay in campgrounds where most of the RVs, camper trailers and such are white and really stand out -- make the place seem crowded. Our gray camper van and jeep just blend into the shadows -- more aesthetically pleasing (to us anyway).

 

[Mogrunt]

We ordered our new Rubicon in Earl. We call it Earl Grey, like the tea. But we liked the color over the other offerings, with Hydro Blue our second choice. We think the Earl is a classy, different color. We see black and shades of grey on sooo many Jeeps, with white being the next most common. We just wanted something different.

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