Going Green – Literally

We all want to go green these days to keep the planet clean but what does the actual color mean!

According to a new study by Leger Marketing, commissioned by Ford of Canada, Canadians are loyal to traditional colours, and when it comes to current cars, silver/grey is by far the most popular at 22.3%, with black at 14.1%, blue at 13.6%, then red well behind at 11.6%.

As for the white, considered a global favourite, well, it languishes a distant fifth choice at 6.9%, messy winter snow a reason why it’s not as common.

Rounding out the choices are green at 6%, gold at 3.8% and orange at 0.4%. Eleven per cent of Canadians surveyed chose a colour other than those listed.

“People form an emotional connection with colour and there is something very personal to buyers about the hue of their cars,” says Susan Swek, Ford’s chief designer for colour and materials. “Our internal research shows up to 40% of car buyers say they would walk out of a dealership if they couldn’t buy a car in the colour they wanted.”

The study also discovered the propensity to choose an unconventional colour actually increases with age — hello, mid-life crisis — and women are much more likely to go for red. And no — it’s an urban myth that red cars are most likely to be stolen than any other car.

As for what your car colour choice says about you, Swek says there are specific attributes associated to the top five colour choices in Canada — and your choice of car colour does reveal glimpses of your driver personality:

Silver: “Since silver and grey are technical colours, they communicate a sense of aspiration and at times, an embrace of futurism.”

Black: “Overall black communicates strength, aspiration and a respect for the classic and the elegant.”

Blue: “Darker blue is perceived as more traditional. However, a bright or light blue is the opposite and is seen as the least ‘classic’ of the other colour groups.”

Red: “A colour which screams sporty and energetic but in certain shades can also be associated with distinction.”

White: “White is clean and modern. Premium specialty whites (also known as ‘tri-coat whites’) are also associated with luxury and ‘premium-ness,’

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