White has remained the most popular automobile color for South Korean consumers.
According to survey by Axalta, a market leader in automotive paint coatings, 33 percent of cars sold in Korea last year were white. Although the ratio was down 3 percent points from a year ago, one out of three cars sold in the country was white followed by gray (19 percent), black (16 percent) and silver (12 percent).
Black also has been another popular color for cars in Korea for years, accounting for around 15 to 16 percent every year, as it is perceived as the color for luxury, authority and power.
Fewer consumers prefer vivid colors, blue (8 percent), red (7 percent), brown/beige (3 percent) and yellow/gold (1 percent), but the number of people opting for punchy colors has gradually increased.
The ratio of blue vehicles, which remained only 4 percent in 2013, has doubled in three years. The unique color has been rarely used in automobiles in the country, but high performance vehicles often come in blue as it symbolizes youth and high speed.
White has been the most popular color for six years in a row in the world, too. Of the total number of cars sold worldwide last year, 37 percent was white, followed by black (18 percent), silver (11 percent), gray (11 percent), red (6 percent), blue (6 percent), beige (6 percent), yellow (3 percent) and green (1 percent).
White color was especially popular in Asia with 48 percent. In addition, 57 percent of Chinese consumers chose white vehicles.
By Park Chang-young
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]