Henry Ford was reported to have said 'They can have any colour car as long as it
is black.' This was in an age when manufacturers dictated what they would sell to a relatively new market that on the whole was more focused on the excitement of the product rather than the minor details.
The market for cars has now evolved so much that the car market has become consumer lead rather than manufacturer lead. People now have the ability to choose colours and the silver car has risen in popularity to become the colour of choice. According to data released by paint manufactures PPG Industries, silver has maintained the top selling colour for the last nine years.
Silver is often perceived as quite a toned down and neutral colour and many car manufacturers market the fact that silver is a very easy colour easy to keep clean and also one of the best colours for showing off the styles of the car. There are not too many car makers that don't include a silver option in their choice of new car.
Just as in the development of the car, strides forward in paint technologies have also played a major part in promoting silver. A 1999 survey by Oxford University revealed the following results about the colours that people choose for their cars:
People who own red cars have a lust and passion for life whereas people who own silver cars have a naked ambition (Lewis Hamilton the F1 driver has a silver car). Beige car owners are wholesome and have traditional values while light green car owners are bright, youthful personalities who want to live life to the full.
People who drive dark green cars are considered optimistic as opposed to those who drive who drive light blue who are considered more introverted types. Those who drive yellow cars are apparently just looking for attention whilst brown car owners are happy to blend into the background and don't see their vehicle as some kind of fashion accessory. Owners of black cars are people who like to intimidate others and who are successful.