Silver is top auto paint color for ninth year

DETROIT - Silver in hues ranging from chrome to charcoal grayextended its reign as the most popular choice for car and truckpaint across the globe this year, according to annual data collectedby a leading paint maker.

Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries Inc. said silver has been the No.1 color for nine straight years, accounting for 25 percent ofvehicle paint choices in the U.S., 35 percent in Europe and 34percent in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the U.S., silver rose from 20 percent of the market a yearago. White finished second at 18 percent and black was third with 16percent. Red was a distant fourth at 12 percent.

PPG, which includes shades of charcoal and gray in its silvercategory, said the color was popular because of new paint effectsthat make even dull shades of gray shine.

Americans' tastes have changed dramatically in the past 15 years.In 1994, green was the most popular color and only 8 percent ofbuyers chose silver.